Love Ran Red
by anime4life2112
Summary: Losing both of the most important people in her life, Mayura was forced to learn how to survive in the cutthroat world she lived in, determined to lead her own life. But fate - along with a drop-dead gorgeous crimson-haired mafia lord - had other plans for her. Rated M for gore, vulgarities and sexual tension (& interactions).
1. Their First Encounter

**Hello people! So, I was reading mafia AUs for other animes, and then I suddenly got a brainstorm for this storyline. Characters will be a little (or very) OOC, but you will see bits of their original character settings here and there, if you look closely. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Sousei No Onmyouji/Twin Star Exorcists, just the plot and some OCs (some more significant than others).**

* * *

Red. It was the colour of many things, but one of the most significant would be blood - something that has never been, and still wasn't, foreign to Mayura. Blood of her enemies, of the victims who died by her hands and of her parents who were killed when she was at the mere age of seven.

To her red was a vulgar colour: it was the first sign that spells out one's inevitable death, at least in the world she lived in. Despite being surrounded by it on a daily basis, she could never get used to it. The crimson red liquid, its coppery taste and uniquely - and strangely - sweet smell. It was unexpectedly intoxicating yet unbearably disgusting at the same time. She couldn't stand it. So much so that just the thought of it revolted her being, like her entire soul was disgusted by the idea. It was quite astonishing that she came into contact with it so frequently despite despising it. It was like the world denies her existence its wish to stay away from blood and death altogether.

However, as vulgar as it may appeared - in the form of blood, that is - red was also the colour of fate and love. And she got hit by both so hard and fast, she never even saw it coming.

* * *

Mayura stared at the small, almost vacant room she considered her home for the past 10 years. There were a few, really small, piles of clothes, folded neatly and well-organised into tops, shorts, pants, skirts and undergarments, at one corner of the room. There weren't more than three pieces of each.

In another corner was a filthy-looking, but undeniably comfortable, mattress, with an equally comfortable blanket and pillow. Thanks to which she was able to sleep soundly every night. Next to the mattress was a small tin can, filled with coins and bills, the money she earned from working part-time at a small café nearby.

Despite how run-down and old this place was, it was actually quite sturdy. It happened to be an abandoned apartment, and she, by the devil's luck, had found it, uninhabited.

Of course, it went without saying, she was living alone.

Why? Simple, her father was murdered, died from a gunshot wound in his temple. His death caused the family ruin. Since that day, she and her mother went into hiding, having gone bankrupt a short while after her father's death.

Upon finding out about her father's death, she would have believed that was the roughest bump on the road, and was right until that point. If it hadn't been for the day she found her mother in the corner along the street near where they lived in secrecy, raped and murdered. Only three years later, and she had lost her mother too. She had been raped while out working, and died from a deep gash in her neck, most definitely caused by a knife.

If it hadn't been for the fact that she was out with Rokuro, Benio and the gang that night... she most definitely would've have been done in there and then too. Since then, she had been living by and for herself.

Oh yes, she did mourn for them, cried over their deaths for many nights in a row - she was absolutely crushed over losing the two individuals who she loved and considered most precious and important. But she eventually straightened up, believing her parents would want her to live life to the fullest and without regrets. After all, they would never blame her for their deaths. She knew that best.

Despite all this that had happened to her, she continued to look forward, knowing that dwelling on the past had no meaning or significance, as it wouldn't change anything. She could only hope for fortune to strike in the near future.

However, even she never would have expected for said near future to be so soon.

* * *

"Good job today, Mayura-chan! You're shift is over, so you may go now. You look like you could use some rest. Manaka-chan will be taking over from here on," The manager of the café Rose Maiden Latte, Amano Teresa, exclaimed, eyeing her green-tipped blonde employee, who appeared slightly more out of it than usual.

Upon hearing those words, Mayura offered a small, grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Teresa-san. I kinda needed a break."

Watching Mayura a little while longer, Teresa settled down on a chair in front of her, and stared her straight in the eye. "Today… it's that day, right?" Seeing how Mayura's eyes widened slightly while she stiffened upon hearing that, Teresa knew she'd hit the bullseye, and sighed herself.

"I knew it, I shouldn't have called you to take over Mika's shift today. You should have spent more time with them," Teresa scolded herself, guilt eating away at her conscience.

Mayura let out a laugh and waved both hands in front of her. "It's fine, really! I was running low on money, anyways!"

Teresa nodded silently as she watched her employee stand up and walk over to the locker room, changing out of her maid uniform and into a pastel green, long-sleeved crop hoodie, and a white, skater skirt, along with a pair of beaver-brown ankle-high, laced flat boots.

She grabbed her bag out of the locker and slung it over her shoulder. Teresa eyed the outline of Mayura's weapon on the bag and gave a small smile. "Be careful on your way home. I heard the local mafia's activities have been occurring more irregularly and frequently."

"Don't worry! Thanks to you, I became a lot more capable of protecting myself," Mayura replied, and Teresa nodded in understanding. "True, you may have been in a gang, but you're still no match for me, let alone a member of an international-level mafia."

"I know, I get it. I'll be careful, I promise," Mayura replied with a bright smile, catching Teresa slightly off guard.

As she watched Mayura approach the back door, she muttered in a low voice, "I pray that you never lose that innocence and light of yours, Mayura."

"Hm? Did you say something?" Mayura asked, turning around to face Teresa, who simply covered up her slight panic with a smile.

"Nothing! Give your parents my greetings!"

"Sure!" With that, Mayura stepped out. As soon as the door was shut, Teresa quickly walked over to a secluded corner of the employee's office, and looked around, ensuring there were no employees within earshot, and quickly dialled a number.

As soon as the line connected, a smooth and low voice spoke.

"I hope you have a very good reason for calling my personal contact, Teresa-san. You know this line is restricted to my mafia members only."

"Is that what you should be telling to your only information broker here, and the best in town, at that? Besides, I wouldn't have called unless it was important. It's about the local mafia's recent activities. Are you aware that they are looking for Mayura?"

"...You know where she is?"

"She works for me, that's all you need to know. Now, you tell me, why are they looking for her?"

"Because we're looking for her as well."

Upon hearing this, Teresa's posture straightened, as her tone became guarded and defensive. "Why?"

"I assume you know, where she lives, since she works for you, as you've so conveniently stated earlier." The voice on the other end replied, his tone cool and unfazed by Teresa's underlying threat.

"Unless you've got a damn good reason, I refuse to tell you anything anymore."

At the other end of the line, the person almost rolled his eyes at how childish that sounded. "...To repay my debt, and fulfil my superior's last wishes."

"...Very well. I'll send you an address, but you better not tell her about our affiliation with that man, not until the right time comes."

"Naturally, that goes without saying. You've worked hard these few years, I'll watch over her from now on."

"...You're kidding, right? I've been watching over her for almost ten years, she's as important as family to me now. You seriously think I'll just cut off all ties with her because you're gonna to watch over her now? Don't give me that shit."

"Well, what do you want me to do then?"

"Even if you take her in, I still want her to work at the café on the weekends, at the very least. She deserves the semblance of a normal life, you and I both know it. She didn't deserve this, after both of them got killed. She wasn't at fault at all. Hell, she doesn't even _know_."

"...I know. I'll consider your words."

"Then, I'll leave her in your...capable hands." Teresa hung up and sighed. Her eyes fell on the back door, the one Mayura had exited mere minutes ago, and a devastated expression came over her. "I'm so sorry, Mayura..."

* * *

As soon as she had stepped out, she slipped on her pastel pink headphones and began playing the song 'Kanadeai' by Itowokashi from her smartphone, which Teresa bought for her, along with the headphones, as a birthday present last year, before pulling the hood over her head.

Shoving her hands and handphone into the pockets of her hoodie, she made her way back to her abandoned apartment. Crossing a junction that was really near her home, she noticed something parked right in the middle of the road - a goddamn limo. She raised a brow upon noticing it.

"Why is there a limo here?" she asked no one in general, as she continued walking down the familiar streets towards her home. Sensing an impending danger, she slipped one hand out of the pocket of her hoodie and to behind her back, hand resting on the handle of the silver pistol she kept tucked in the waistband of her skirt.

Upon reaching the door of her house, she spotted a lone figure, dressed in a skin-tight black dress shirt, tucked into black dress pants, and black leather shoes donning his feet. Over it, he wore a black, formal-looking collared jacket, which ended below his hips.

Mayura could practically see his muscles bulging out of that shirt, and mentally assessed his strength. There was no way she would win in a physical fight, meaning she had to figure out a way to outsmart, and the rest of his lackeys, who were very obviously the men she spotted on the way. And lucky for her, no one knew their way around this part of town better than she did.

His hands were shoved in the pockets of his pants, but she could make out a gun in one of them, and judging by the size and shape, if she had to guess, it was a Remington 1866 Derringer. She let go of her own pistol to remove her headphones and kept them hung around her neck, before bringing her hand behind her back once more and tightened her grip on her own pistol behind her back. Her other hand, which had been in the pocket of her hoodie, rested on the blade of the dagger that had been kept in there the entire time.

"May I help you?" she asked politely, her usual smile on her face, her senses alert and ready to strike anytime. The stranger, upon hearing her voice, turned to face her and studied her for a moment. Determining that she wasn't of any danger or threat from her casual, laid-back stance, he replied, "I'm here to see Otomi Mayura."

"What business do you have with me?" She asked, taking him by surprise, which was barely shown on his face, the only subtle signs being the slight widening of eyes and his body tensing up. Removing pulling a hand from one of his pockets, he reached out a hand towards her. "Come with me. My superior has business with you."

"What kind of business? As far as I'm concerned, I'm an orphan, and my own guardian. There is nothing significant about me, that would require the attention from someone as important as your superior," Mayura responded, making sure not to show any emotion other than the calmness she had displayed so far, as she wrecked her brain for a plan, a backup plan and her escape route. She noted how his grip on the gun hidden on his pocket tightened, and her eyes dulled slightly. So, he wasn't hesitant about using brute force? Well, neither was she.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out. I'll only say it one more time: come with me." Hearing the threatening tone in his voice, she slowly took a step back. Thinking that she had been intimidated and was now attempting to run away, he felt his confidence brimming and took a step forward, believing he would be able to easily catch her if she made a run for it. That confidence instantly dissipated, however, when she raised her head and revealed the feral smirk on her face. " _ **No**_."

Mayura then sprinted forward and grabbed the hand that was still in his pocket, while knocking him down in the process. The man struggled to pull his hand out of her grasp while getting himself away from under her, but she refused to slacken her grip, and instead tightened it, resulting in crushing his wrist, while she pinned his legs down with her knees on his thighs.

Opening his mouth to shout for help, Mayura immediately pulled out her silver pistol and shoved the barrel into his mouth, effectively shutting him up. He literally stopped breathing as he slowly looked into the eyes of the girl before him, and felt trepidation from the ice-cold gaze her initially warm eyes now gave, smiling sweetly all the while.

"I really didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice, y'know? Since you are from the mafia and all, I can't afford having you and your men spilling shit about me to anyone in the underground world. It would be too inconvenient for me." Letting her bloodlust flow freely, which effectively freaked out the man below her, she pulled the trigger.

The sound of the bullet being shot rang out through the air, as crimson red splat from beneath his head. She watched it flow out with dull eyes, before hearing footsteps approaching her house. She made a run for it, running across the corridor, and making her way down the steps. Stopping at the second floor, she jumped out of the paneless window and onto the stone surface of the shelter built against the other side of the very same wall.

Leaning against the wall, she readied her gun towards the window. Just as she predicted, one of the men leaned his head out of the window to confirm, if she had taken that route. While the other men ran right past and down to the first floor, as soon as that man made eye contact with her, she fired a shot right through his mouth, ignoring the splattering of blood, which landed on her face. "What was that?"

"I heard a gunshot from upstairs."

"Wasn't that where Jun was?!"

"Someone go call for backup! Quickly check if she's there!"

Giving her cheeks a quick wipe with the back of her hand, she rolled off the shelter, just in time to see another man round the corner, with his back facing her. While some of the men ran back up to check on their fallen comrade, she, as silently as humanly possible, snuck up behind him, before quickly wrapping an arm around his neck from behind, with a hand clamped on his mouth. In his surprise, he panicked and struggled to escape from her grip, which wouldn't be so easy, considering that she was using a technique called 'the Snake's grip', formed to restraint one's movements, that Teresa had taught her, and the said manager had god-like strength - seriously, how was Teresa so strong despite being only two years older than her?! - it allowed her to use her free hand to swiftly draw her dagger out of her pocket and swipe it across his neck, her other hand muffling any sounds all the while.

Watching his form slump lifelessly on the ground, she quickly backed up against the wall. She was now outside the building she live in, which was surrounded by all sorts of structures. It was now her territory that they were in. It didn't matter, if they were the mafia or whatever, she'd get rid of anyone on her turf. Making a dash for it, she smirked to herself when she heard one of the men exclaim to the others that he had spotted her, and began chasing her.

Perfect. Now all she needed to do was lead them to one of her traps.

Running into the nearest building, she dashed up the stairs to the rooftop, the rest of the men easily keeping up. As she reached the edge, she turned around to face them. There was four of them left, barely out of breath, making her curse her bad luck under her breath. If she had a weakness, it would be her lack of stamina, which increased over the years, but definitely still no match for experienced hitman. She left out a shaky breath as the four slowly inched towards her, seemingly overconfident that they had her cornered. "C'mon, girlie, you don't wanna get hurt, do you?"

She lifted her head and gave a soft smile, catching them all off-guard. Taking a step back, she felt her foot rest on the edge of the rooftop, and watched with triumphant satisfaction at their bewildered expressions, as she replied in a sweet tone, "I'd rather _**die**_ than to follow you."

With that, she pushed herself off the building.

They soon registered the shock that came over them and ran forward, finding no sign of the girl, dead or alive. Seeing that there was a balcony right below, they groaned, thinking she must've played them by landing down there and escaped from whichever room that was connected to it. They all followed suit and landed below, but as soon as one of them set foot into the room via that stone window, they got another surprise: a bomb.

Which effectively took out two more men. Hearing hearty laughter from behind, the remaining two men whipped around, looking through the window of the building right opposite the one they were in, and found the green-tipped blonde making her way out of the room. They paled, realising they were fools for thinking she expected to outsmart them with that simple trick, and never saw this pre-prepared plan coming.

Deciding that just the two of them were no match for her, in her turf, where she probably had traps planted everywhere, they began to withdraw. Making their way out, one of the two, who had dirty blonde hair that was gelled back, said, "Let's go back and regroup with the others. We stand a better chance with larger numbers. Give them a call."

"Understood," the second one, with a messy nest of raven hair, replied, fishing out his phone, and began dialling a number. Right before he could click the call button, he heard the sound of something heavy fall to the ground. Turning around, he jumped back in surprise to find his companion lying on the ground, a deep hole of a gunshot in the temple. Feeling a chill run up his entire being, he quickly drew out his own gun, and held it up while looking around, ready to shot at the first sign of anything that drew near. Caught up in his current activity, he failed to notice a certain figure approach him, her footsteps lighter than the gentle gust of wind that blew by, a dagger in one hand and her pistol in the other.

When he turned towards her, it took him a moment to realise she was there, but by the time he did, she had fired a shot at each of his hands, causing him to drop his gun in surprise and howl in pain as he fell to his knees, desperately trying to ease the pain. It served as a nice distractor as she walked towards him, this time swiftly kicking him across the face, knocking out a bloodied molar. Growling in pain and unadulterated rage, he began to rise, only to fall back down as she, like at his hands, planted a bullet into each of his thighs. He helplessly gripped his thighs as crimson continued flowing out constantly, showing no signs of stopping.

As he kneeled in the puddle of warm crimson, he looked up at the girl before her and gave her his deadliest glare, his being shaking with rage-filled humiliation. A group of seven experienced, professional hitmen, defeated by a mere teenage girl. He all but spat, "Who the fuck do you think you are?!"

She was sorely tempted to laugh at his poor attempt to intimidate her, at this point, as she simply stared back with dull, cold eyes, void of light, her lips wearing a small frown. She raised the hand holding the gun, and shoved it into his mouth, before replying in a condescending tone, "I'm Otomi Mayura, the one you seek, and the one who will end you, here and now. No hard feelings, since you all brought this upon yourselves by looking for me."

She winced at the feeling of the now cold blood trickling down her hands. Not her blood, but that of the last man she killed. She never liked how it would turn cold, it disgusted her for some reason. Her eyes then landed on the man lying next to her, and stared at the cellphone that had fallen out of his hands when she had sealed the deal. Seeing that it was still unlocked, she picked it up and studied his saved contacts and her eyes fell on the name 'Chiinu'. Opening it, she looked at the number, and decided that this must be their boss, considering the names of every other contact saved was under some weird nicknames.

Not that she was any better, on her worse days.

Saving the number into her phone - because, who knew, this information may come in handy one day - she checked all the hitmen and collected their weapons and money, which consisted of 100,000 dollar bills. Raising her eyebrows at the amount they brought with them, she gathered them all and placed them in her bag, before hearing footsteps around the corner. She let out a curse and made a run for it: she forgot about the backup they had gathered.

* * *

Unbeknownst to her, or any of the men chasing her for that matter, a crimson-haired boy, who was only two years older than her - and considering that she was 17, he would be 19 - had been watching her intently from high above, tailing her and observing her movement every second of the way, with several men by his side. He noted how the men chasing her were in rather large numbers and had blocked off every possible escape route there was. Unless she had the ability to fly, she'd never get out of that.

A male, who was undoubtedly older than the said boy, had the same crimson-coloured hair, and stepped forward to stand beside him. Looking down at where the younger male was looking at, he quickly assessed the situation and whistled. "She's gonna get herself killed. Are we going soon?"

"...Just a little longer, Keiji. Let's see how well a fight she puts up without any tricks prepared. Only then can we see her true strength." He muttered in response, his long, grey scarf flowing sideways as a gust of wind blew by, staring down at the blonde all the while.

"What will you do now, Otomi Mayura?'

* * *

Mayura clicked her tongue in annoyance as she rounded the corner. She was surrounded, and didn't have enough time to prepare her own weapons. Even with the number of guns she had in her possession now, should she lower her attention on her surroundings to take them out, she'll be the one to get killed. Gritting her teeth, she slipped her dagger and the Remington Herringer into the waistband of her skirt as she readied two guns, one in each hand, the safety undone and raring to go.

At the first sight of someone's head, she immediately shot at the poor victim, who fell to the ground due to the well-placed bullet to the temple. At this, the rest pulled out their own weapons and began their retaliation. Constantly on the move, she continuously fired both guns, not wasting any time to aim, and managed to eliminate a few of them. She came to a stop and swiftly moved out of the way in time for a blade to zip right past her face, but flinched when she felt a bullet graze her thigh.

Shooting at the throat of the man who attacked her with the knife, she ignored how his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell backwards, more concerned about her current problem: that had been her last bullet. She dodged a fist that came her way, and crashed the now empty gun into his temple, causing the world before his eyes to black out as blood oozed out from his head. Mayura dropped the gun and used her now free hand to grab the man by the collar and held him before her, causing any and all bullets fired her way to get implanted into his body.

"That bitch, she's using Hiro as a human shield!" Mayura's eye twitched at that - she _hated_ being called that - and sent a fiery glare that man's way, instantly causing him to wilt and regret ever saying anything. Maintaining a firm grip on the now dead man, she pulled him along as she ran off, continuing to shoot at the men surrounding her as she made her way away from where they were and into an opening. Clicking the trigger a few more times, she mentally groaned: this one was out of ammo, too.

"Looks like you're out of bullets, while we still have plenty to spare. Why don't you give up, missy? You don't stand a chance against all of us." Mayura flashed the man an angelic smile, catching him off guard, as she tossed the gun aside. She pulled out the Remington Herringer and swiftly shot him in the abdomen, causing him to double over in pain. Letting out a dry laugh, she stared at him in a condescending manner, and said, "Who said anything about running out of bullets? I, too, have plenty to spare. And don't you know better than to underestimate me just 'cause I'm a girl?"

Dropping the now useless human shield - his body was full of holes now, sooner or later a bullet was going to go right through him and hit her - she dashed down the streets and as she rounded the corner, she paled at the realisation that dawned on her: being so caught up on escaping and getting rid of all of them, she took the wrong turn and was now in a dead end. She let out a low 'tch' and turned around to face the corner she just went around and saw their approaching shadows. "Damn…"

* * *

"Now?" The older boy, Keiji, asked, and the younger boy sighed, seeing as there was no point watching, since the outcome was clear as day, without having him to see this through to the end.

He gave a small nod and said, "Now."

* * *

Mayura huffed in exhaustion. If this was a game, her stamina was definitely depleted by now. However, it wasn't a game but real life, and she was undeniably near death's door. Her left hand gripped on her right arm, from which blood leaked out, as she remained on the ground, leaning against the wall behind her while facing the men who had been chasing her and were panting slightly. She had taken a bullet to her right arm and left leg, and was now barely able to move for she had used up all her energy fighting back.

"C'mon, you must be tired now. Why don't you just be a good girl and follow us?" There were six men left - none of them were the least bit tired out - as one of them spoke, somehow still naive enough to believe she would obey them at this point, after everything that had happened. Mayura remained the defiant character, as she tightened her grip on her dagger and weakly held it before her. But what held them back from advancing was the deadly look in her eyes, that dared any of them to come forward. Despite her completely wasted state, something told them she was still able to kill them with them none the wiser.

All of them, including Mayura, jumped at the sound of a gun going off and the sight of one of them falling forward, and instantly a pool of blood formed on the ground around the corpse's head, startling them all. The remaining whipped around, ready to shot, but weren't fast enough to avoid getting killed by professionals far superior to them. One by one, they went down, with Mayura watching from where she was, eyes widening in alarm. There was more of them and they weren't from the same mafia. She watched these new figures warily, unsure of how, or if, she should react at all.

As her eyes roamed over the new group of mobsters, they landed on the one standing in the middle of them all. She studied his appearance: ridiculously long eyelashes - she briefly wondered how that didn't make him look feminine but all the more handsome - sharp chin, and a lean yet muscular stature.

He was dressed in a simple, white dress shirt, untucked and rather loose on him, along with dark-blue, skinny jeans, which were stuffed into the black, combat boots that donned his feet. Over it all was a long black, collared coat - holy crap, was it made of high-quality wool? - and a grey scarf that wound around his neck twice before flowing behind him. Everything he wore looked expensive as hell, the kind of luxury she could never afford to enjoy.

But the features that stood out the most was his crimson, spiky hair and sky blue eyes. Despite it being a much hated colour to her, she had to admit, it suited him well, it almost looked natural. And she could tell that he was strong, too. Stronger than any of the men that just came and took out her enemies.

She couldn't say for sure why they had saved her: for all she knew, they may also be her enemies.

She tensed up as he walked towards her, with very obvious confidence in every step he took, not even wavering once when she shot him a deadly glare. Stopping right before her, he got down on one knee and closed in on her, his face barely inches away from hers. Despite feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the close proximity, she stood her ground and sharpened her glare. At which he simply gave a faint smirk in return

As he raised a hand and slowly reached for her, her hand, too, shot out and grabbed hold of his wrist, with barely enough strength to keep it from advancing any further, and threw it away from her, still breathing heavily. The momentum caused his body to lean back a little, giving her time to grab her dagger once more. She knew this was suicidal, considering the fact that the rest of the men were still here and able to plant a bullet through her brain any moment, but she was still going to do it. He narrowed his eyes at the gesture. Just as she swung it towards him, he grabbed her hand with ease, the blade between his middle and fourth finger, before twisting it. Letting out a yelp, she loosened her hold on the handle of her dagger, which dropped to the ground, when he released his hold on her hand, clattering noisily as the metal made contact with the stone floor.

Keiji, who was watching this exchange intently, raised both brows at her actions. Just what did she hope to achieve, aiming a blade at a mafia boss at point-blank range? Even if, in the off-chance, she did manage to kill him, there was no way she would've been able to somehow run away and survive not getting killed by the rest of them…

Was she already ready to die? Or did she simply not care?

She clutched her now twisted left wrist and winced slightly, and without warning, he grabbed a handful of hair from her scalp and pulled it back, forcing her face upwards, eliciting a low groan of pain from her as she screwed her eyes shut.

"Listen well, 'cause I'm only going to say this once." She slowly opened her eyes, and found him staring right back at her with a cold, punitive gaze - one far colder than hers - which caused her to swallow thickly as she gave a small nod, waiting for him to continue speaking.

"We just saved your sorry ass from getting killed, but after that stunt you just pulled, I don't intend on letting you off the hook so easily. Here's the deal: we'll continue to keep people like them," he began, gesturing towards the corpses that laid around them, "away from you, but in return, you will work for us to the death. As a _slave_."

Mayura's eyes widened as her brows furrowed, and began to protest, "What the hell do you mean, 'slav-'"

"Or, you can join them, and die now." The rest of her protest died in her throat as despair was evident on her face, coming face to face with the barrel of the gun he held at her forehead. Despite her rash actions from just mere moments ago, she didn't want to die. To die now, or to die later, she was literally being forced to choose between the two, but the outcome would still be the same. However…

"I...don't want to die now," she eventually said, grudgingly - she absolutely hated losing, almost as much as she hated blood - as she kept her head low, biting her bottom lip as she awaited his response. Hearing the shuffling of clothes, she looked up and watched him tuck his gun away into the waistband of his pants, before shoving a hand into a pocket in his long coat, the other reaching out for her, which she hesitantly took and slowly raised herself.

Rather than raising herself up, she could practically feel herself getting pulled up by him, literally. She regained her balance and quickly straightened her posture, absolutely refusing to fall forward into his arms, which were held out slightly, ready to catch her. Seeing that she was fine, he dropped both hands to his sides, before shoving them into the pockets of his coat.

"You live around here?" She gave a nod, to which he acknowledged and turned away from her. "My men will pick you up tomorrow to bring you to our headquarters. Make sure to be ready by eight o'clock, sharp."

As he began to walk off, her voice pulled him back. "Wait!" Turning his head to the side, just enough for him to look over his shoulder and make eye contact with her, his eyes took in her weakened appearance as he waited for the rest of the question.

"Who are you?" Hearing this, he stared her right in the eye, neither side breaking their gaze from the other, and this continued for a few more moments, with his men surrounding them and watching their every move. This time, he turned around with his body facing diagonally away from her as he held his chin high. "Boss of the mafia 'Vermillion Wing', Ikaruga Shimon."

* * *

 **Hope you like it! Please do review!**

 **XOXO, anime4life2112**


	2. Bad Girls Sneaking Out To Play At Night

**Hello dear readers. I am sooo totally, unbelievably, how-can-I-ever-make-it-up-to-you sorry. Took me forever to get this chapter done. (-.-|||) Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this new chapter (hopefully I can get the next chapter finished by next month...)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Sousei No Onmyouji/Twin Star Exorcists, just the plot and the OCs.**

* * *

Zipping down the streets, Mayura ignored the skeptical looks shot her way as she buttoned up her slim-fitting, white dress shirt, which was untucked and over the grey, pleated skirt she wore. Black, flat ankle-boots donned her feet as she dashed down the streets, making a beeline for the ridiculously tall building that was approaching in a few meters.

She quickly glanced at the screen of her phone and mentally groaned - it was already 25 minutes after the time she would usually arrive. She overslept and left the house thirty minutes later than she usually would, and being late meant punishment. Man, she never thought she could hate anything as much as blood, but _he_ proved her wrong. His punishments were the worst.

Closing in on the building, she brought her hands to the side of her head, tying up her hair into a low, side ponytail as she briskly walked right through the doors. She ignored the turning of heads in her direction, which she received on a daily basis, and went straight to the front desk, where the concierge, Yuri, looked up upon noticing her approach and greeted her with a smile. "Morning, Mayura-chan!"

"Morning, Yuri. Is he...here already?" She asked cautiously, catching her breath as she awaited his response. Seeing him avert his eyes, she sighed. "He is, isn't he?"

"... Yeah. And he's none too pleased."

"Great… get me the lift."

"Oh, Keiji-sama just arrived. If you hurry, you might be able to catch up- " Mayura sprinted off before hearing the end of the sentence. Yuri watched her disappearing back and shook his head, smiling to himself.

As Mayura approached the double doors of the lift, she rounded the corner just in time to see Keiji standing in there and the doors just about to close. Paling, she reached out a hand and continued running towards him. "Wait, wait, wait!"

Hearing her voice, Keiji's head snapped upwards - he had been looking at his phone and checking for messages - and quickly pressed the open button upon seeing Mayura's approaching figure. Entering the lift, Mayura put her hands on her knees, with her head hung low as she panted in an attempt to catch her breath, again.

"Morning, Mayura-chan! You're a little...late, aren't you?" Keiji greeted, ending off with a teasing note, which made Mayura look up, laughing sheepishly before groaning slightly at the end.

"Man, how are you such a ladies' man while your younger brother is such a… a cold-hearted spartan red drill sergeant?!" Mayura exclaimed in exasperation, Keiji raising his eyebrow in amusement at the nickname.

This place had gotten much more livelier - in a rambunctious sense - ever since she arrived, and he had to admit, it was amusing seeing his little brother interact with the green-tipped blonde.

"Well, I am a mere member of the mafia, while he is the boss, it's normal to see people in charge develop a cold personality while staying up in the high positions that they are born in," Keiji replied, to which Mayura huffed in annoyance as she looked to the side, muttering in a low voice, "I wouldn't fuss over that kind of things, if he wasn't so extreme with his 'punishments'."

"Well, you did go overboard a few times," Keiji stated offhandedly while he looked away as soon as she whipped her head to face him with a pink hue on her cheeks, a flustered expression on with her brows furrowed. "No, I did not! That was because of his just desserts. He deserves so much worse!"

"Remember your first day?" Hearing the taunting tone in his question, Mayura buried her face in her hands in memory of her agony and humiliation.

"Ugh, don't remind me…"

It was too late. Both were going driving down the memory lane to their first shared ride ever.

* * *

 _Mayura swallowed thickly, watching from above as a limo drove and stopped in front of the building she was living in. The door opened to reveal one of the men from the yesterday - he had the same bright crimson hair as Ikaruga Shimon, but was clearly older as observed from his much more defined facial features. She had to admit, he looked handsome. too. Not as much as Ikaruga Shimon, though._

 _Not that she actually gave a damn. Perish the thought._

 _As he tilted his head back to look up, she couldn't deny the slight shock at the bright smile he gave her as she stared back at him. Giving a slight nod his way, she made her way down to the limo._

 _As she remained seated next to him in the limo, she looked out of the window and observed the passing sceneries in boredom. However, her mind pondered over a different matter. How was the man next to her so calm and...cheerful? Just yesterday she had attempted to kill his boss, so it wouldn't be weird if he were to be on guard and cautious around her. But instead, he was being so relaxed - to the point she felt slightly creeped out, if she had to be honest - like he wasn't afraid of her at all. But she wasn't happy about this, oh, no._

 _If anything, it actually pissed her off._

 _She felt underestimated: having his guard down around her meant he believed he was stronger than her, and she didn't like that. Just because Ikaruga Shimon overpowered her in her weakened state didn't mean she was any less lethal than she was now. Yet, he didn't seem affected by that, and she wasn't having any of it._

 _She had her left arm propped on the armrest of the door, her chin resting in the palm of her hand, the other arm resting across her stomach, while she had one leg crossed over the other. Her right hand idled over the slight bulge on the side of her hip, slowly stroking the barrel of the gun she had on her side._

 _Her eyes darkened as she stared at her own reflection in the window - she was going to teach Ikaruga Shimon a lesson, and never have him mess with her again. She'll let him know that Otomi Mayura is one to be feared._

 _Unbeknownst to her, Keiji was watching her the entire time, and saw the look in her eyes - one with the intent of going in for the kill. Smirking, he silently chuckled as he looked out the window on his side. He was not going to ruin things by telling his little brother what his new pet was up to, but instead let the chaos unravel by itself. It always was more entertaining that way._

 _Feeling the limo pull up, she knew that they had arrived, and got out. Turning around, her jaw dropped when her eyes landed on the 1000-foot tall, glass-plated building that stood before her, loud and proud. A flabbergasted expression overcame her as she continued to gawk at it. Keiji, who also came out of the limo, resisted the urge to burst out laughing when he caught a glimpse of her reaction. "You're gonna catch flies, if you leave your mouth open like that."_

 _Hearing him speak, she quickly shut her mouth and looked away, a furious yet flustered look on her face. Damn, she let her guard down, but no one could really blame her - who would've thought a mafia base looked like one of the biggest corporations in the world? Following Keiji, with several men behind them, she entered the building._

 _There was no sight of a single woman, just males, all either dressed formally or like the mobsters they were. Seeing Keiji enter, they all turned their heads to greet him, only to pause at the sight of her. She felt her eye twitch as the number of eyes that landed on her increased. Some stared at her in interest and curiously, while others very obviously ogled at her - more particularly at her chest - and the rest seemed unamused._

 _...Should she be annoyed, disgusted or relieved about this?_

 _She felt her hand twitch, just itching to grab her gun and start the bloodfest. No, she thought, save it for the boss. After she rids this mafia of its heart, it would be easier to finish off the rest of the body. She directed her agitated gaze towards Keiji, who immediately got her message - she did not want any more attention on her. Coughing lightly into his fist, the men quickly regained themselves and put up a professional front, quickly greeting Keiji before returning to their duties. But not without sending a few glances her way._

" _Is it always like this?" She questioned while they walked past the concierge and towards the lift. Entering the lift, they watched the doors close and felt the lift began to rise. After a moment, Keiji finally answered._

" _Not really. It only happens when a female enters, because, as you can see, there are only men working here. There are very few ladies here with us," he replied, flashing a charming smile, to which Mayura felt absolutely_ _ **nothing**_ _, as she stared back at him with a blank face. "... I see."_

" _By the way, my name's Keiji. Ikaruga Keiji," Keiji introduced himself, and as soon as he mentioned the name 'Ikaruga', she whipped her head around to face him in surprise. "Ikaruga… you mean -?"_

" _Yep, I'm Shimon's older brother," he replied, observing her every reaction to his statement. The first thing he noticed was how her eyes widened at this new piece of information, not in surprise, but in contemplation of killing him to rile Shimon up. Then, they narrowed, seemingly against the idea - no, that's not it. It appeared as though the very thought of using family to poke at Shimon revolted her._

" _Not going to use me to get to Shimon?" He asked, to which, for a brief moment, her eyes became harrowed, catching him off guard for the first time since they left her house, before looking away from him and towards the doors, then muttering slowly, "... I'm above that."_

 _As a light 'ding' was heard, indicating they arrived the top floor, where Shimon's office was, she stepped out and turned around to face him once more, her everyday smile on - but for some reason, it appeared dispirited to him - when she added, "Besides, I prefer relying on my own skills to confront others."_

 _As she walked side by side with him, she questioned in a low voice, "... Are you going to tell him?"_

" _Nah, do what you wish. But I'll say this first: you can't win. I'm not underestimating you, I'm just stating what I know."_

 _At this, her eyes became lifeless as she answered, "That's not for you to decide."_

 _Reaching the double doors of Shimon's office, Keiji knocked twice before opening the door, moving to the side while gesturing for Mayura to enter. "Ladies first."_

 _Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she waltzed in, ignoring the fact, that there were multiple of other mobsters in there, all drinking and chatting noisily to one another. Letting her eyes roam around, they landed on Shimon, who sit right in the middle of it all, behind his long desk, apparently dealing with paperwork. He was visibly unaffected by the ruckus that was occurring around him, for he wore a pair of white and grey headphones - the same brand and model as the one Mayura had, she noted with mild interest - no doubt listening to music to block out all distractions around him._

 _She felt her bloodlust surge from within, threatening to spill out, but she held it in, not wanting to give her intentions away so soon, even if it was already is found out by Keiji. Upon her entrance, everyone had quietened down, observing their new guest. Apparently having sensed that ruckus had died down, Shimon removed his headphones, leaving them hanging around his neck, as he looked up, eyes widening a slight fraction for a brief moment upon seeing her, before they narrowed._

" _Shimon, I brought her, as per your request," Keiji stated, all charisma gone as he put on a professional front, awaiting Shimon's orders. Shimon didn't answer, but continued to stare at Mayura intensely. After a few, suffocating, moments, Mayura felt herself fidget slightly under his gaze. It felt like his gaze stripped her bare, and was able to see right through her and read her heart and mind. Nonetheless, she didn't back down, and stared right back. Then Shimon, without averting his eyes or blinking once, ordered, "Everyone out, now, and don't come back in till I tell you to."_

 _With that, everybody stood up and filed out of the room. Mayura felt the edge of her lips twitch upwards: this just gave her the leverage she needed. With everyone out of the way, there was no one to back him up. Just perfect._

 _Hearing the sound of the doors click closed behind her, Shimon slowly stood up, putting both hands in the pockets of his pants. Unlike yesterday, he was dressed in a simple black, long-sleeved top, with a wide collar that revealed his collarbone enticingly - again, not that she actually cared - while the sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbows. His legs were covered with a pair of slightly slim-fitting white pants, finished with the same pair of black combat boots and grey scarf from the previous day._

 _Approaching her, he briefly let his eyes roam over her alluring figure before looking back at her. She remained unfazed as he stood less than a meter away from her, quite literally looking down on her - since he was taller - and began to speak. "I'm surprised Keiji was able to bring you here without engaging in a fight."_

" _I'm not so stupid as to initiate a fight with mobsters who overpower me," she replied, not interested in entertaining him. He hummed in response, then reached out a hand and placed it on her hip. Her eyes widened as they shot towards his hand, not because he was touching her intimately, but because it was dangerously close to the gun she had tucked away in the waistband of her shorts._

 _Feeling his breath fan her cheek, she quickly turned back to face him, only to find his face centimeters away from hers. Leaning back slightly, she furrowed her brows and questioned cautiously, "What...are you trying to initiate?"_

" _That's my question," he replied, tightening his grip on her hip, causing her to flinch slightly in pain, before becoming alarmed upon hearing his next words._

" _What's the deal with that gun in the waistband of your shorts?"_

 _Deciding to drop the obedient act, she gave him a hard shove in the chest using her left hand, strong enough for him to release her hip and stumble back slightly, giving her an opportunity to reach for her gun with her left hand. Shimon, who already predicted this, was quick to regain his balance and reached out, grabbing her by the arm and throwing her towards his desk._

 _Gnashing her teeth in agony as she felt her ribs hit the edge of the table, she quickly grabbed the nearest object, which turned out to be a cup, and tossed it towards Shimon without aiming._

 _Upon seeing his cup getting flung at him, he caught it easily and moved it out of his face, just in time to see Mayura pulling back her clenched fist, obviously readying it for a punch._

 _Launching her fist at him, she watched in despair and horror as Shimon simply moved his head to the side, missing her fist completely, before he grabbed her wrist and tossed her towards the couch next to them. Landing on the soft couch on her back, she let out a low 'oomph' before quickly opening her eyes, ready to rise up once more…_

… _only to find him above her._

 _She sucked in a breath, her entire being freezing as she realised the position they were in. He was above her, both hands holding her wrists down on either sides of her head, his right knee next to her side on the couch, while his left foot was on the ground, caging her completely, while she was on her back and beneath him. She gulped, deciding that right now would be a good time to worry about what's actually going to happen to her._

" _You have a lot of guts, attacking a mafia boss in his base, where it is inhabited by his members. If it weren't for the fact I've sent them out, you would have a bullet in the head by now," he calmly stated, before lifting a hand from the couch to grab the front of the grey hoodie she wore in an attempt to pull her up to him._

 _That's when the completely unexpected and unprecedented happened._

 _It just so happens that the grey hoodie she wore was rather old and worn out, but she never paid any mind to it and continued to keep it, hence the cloth had begun to fray a long time ago. And now, when Shimon grabbed the front and pulled her up, her weight caused the fabric to rip open, revealing her lacy, white bra-covered chest underneath. Both parties were, without a doubt, surprised, for neither of them had thought that of all things,_ _ **this**_ _would happen._

 _Warmth pooled in her cheeks, which turned a cherry red, as she stared at her revealed chest in shock. Shimon, too, was in shock, but remained impassive, only widening his eyes in disbelief at the outcome of his actions, as his eyes seemed to remain glued to her exposed skin._

 _A faint knock was heard before the door opened, Keiji and two other men poking their heads in. "Shimon, I thought I heard a crash. Did something happen -" As his eyes landed on the duo, he paused mid-sentence._

 _The three men at the door gawked at the two on the couch, with Mayura staring back at them, feeling her face getting hotter than before. Shimon, on the other hand, glared at them. "I thought I said not to enter until I gave the 'okay'."_

" _Apologies, I did not think you two would engage in such… activities so soon. Forgive my intrusion. Go ahead and continue doing whatever it is you two were going to do," Keiji responded, a sly smile on his face while his tone suggestive. That did it._

" _We were most definitely not planning to do anything of the sort!" She screeched, embarrassed beyond belief about her situation. She then turned to face Shimon, who had already directed his attention back on her, or more precisely, her chest. He gazed at it, albeit a seemingly unamused and serious gaze, but he was gazing nonetheless, which infuriated and humiliated her further._

" _Quit staring, you perverted closet-peeping chicken!"_

* * *

"Oh god, I'll never live that down… " Mayura groaned, and Keiji, who could practically see despair surround her like a dark cloud as she kept her hands over her face, chuckled. "Well, ever since then, it's really gotten livelier around here, it's nice!"

"Not for me!" she exclaimed, just as the 'ding' of the elevator was heard, and the two stepped out and made their way to Shimon's office. Ever since she began working here, as a _slave_ , she made the time to get to know those nearest to Shimon and became quite well-acquainted with them. If she had to choose one, the closest to her would be Keiji.

Despite being Shimon's older brother, she was quick to discover that they were polar opposites. Keiji was warm, accepting and kind - sometimes, she honestly wondered how he became a mobster with such a personality - while Shimon was cold, distant and, well, not-so-caring. They were quick to warm up to each other, after several desperate attempts on her part to clear up the misunderstanding of that day, and she felt most at ease with him. Which was the least she could say for the younger brother.

She swore, sometimes talking to Shimon was like talking to an unbreakable block of ice. Needless to say, their relationship - if it's even considered one - improved but did not progress over the three months she has been working here. Her desire for him to die was gone, and now, as ridiculous and petty as it sounded, she wanted to humiliate him a thousand times over.

"Gonna do something foolish again?" Keiji questioned, to which Mayura childishly stuck out her tongue. "It's not foolish! As I've said before, it's his just-desserts. If I had my way, he'd be dead by now. But unfortunately, I don't and he is still very much alive, so I'm going to do whatever I can to mess with him. He deserves that, and so much more."

"That's so petty!"

"I don't think I want to hear that from you! Besides, have you ever once thought about it from my point of view? It's the worst!" She cried, throwing her hands up in exasperation, with Keiji simply laughing at her antics. Soon, they reached the double doors. Knocking twice, Keiji opened the door and the both of them entered - well, Keiji entered with Mayura hiding behind his back and tailing him.

"What...are you doing?" He questioned in a low voice with a raised brow, his streak of amusement towards Mayura's every action never-ending.

Said girl gave him a sharp glare, and muttered in a hushed whisper, "Hiding, that's what. Now be quiet! He'll hear us."

Shimon, as usual, was sitting behind his desk, dealing with several documents. Having sensed that someone had entered, he looked up, and the first thing his eyes landed on wasn't Keiji, but the blond locks of hair behind him.

He let out a low sigh at her pathetic attempt to hide from him - which is impossible, considering the fact that her green-topped blonde hair really stood out in contrast to his mafia, where everything and everyone was dark.

His eyes briefly met Keiji's, and the said elder brother gave a sheepish smile that told him everything. Shimon put down the papers in his hands and reached underneath his desk, where he always kept a spare gun, in case of an emergency.

Well, now he was going to use it to punish his slave.

His eyes never leaving Mayura, he questioned Keiji. "Anything to report?"

"Nothing much, other than the fact that there was a slight ruckus at one of the night clubs which occurred quite recently." Keiji replied, sending a brief glance at Mayura's way, quite aware that Shimon has already spotted her. Well, he'll let them settle it out.

"Get it looked into."

"Already sent some men to do so."

"Very well. Go take a seat," Shimon said, gesturing to an empty spot on the couch. Keiji made his way towards it, with Mayura following suit. Shimon narrowed his eyes at that and growled in a low voice, " _Not you_."

Mayura sucked in a breath, and her entire being went cold as she stopped moving, per his orders. Keiji shot her an apologetic look, along with a faint thumbs up, before settling down. She squeezed her eyes shut and mustered up all her courage, before turning to face Shimon.

"Yes, Boss?" Her voice came out a lot shakier and high-pitched than she would've liked, eliciting several snickers and chuckles from the men surrounding her. However, a sharp glare from their boss silenced them instantly. Turning his attention back to her, he continued to grill her.

"Do you have any idea what time it is now?" He asked, his voice calm, but his tone ice-cold.

Swallowing hard, Mayura stuttered in response, "H-Half past eight…"

"Exactly. You're thirty minutes late, care to explain?" Mayura felt a chill run down her spine. Was it just her, or did the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees at his question? At the corner of her eye, she spotted Keiji putting his palms together with his eyes closed, muttering some sort of ominous chant under his breath, clearly praying for her life be spared.

Well, _that_ was reassuring.

When she didn't give a reply, Shimon narrowed his eyes, and didn't take his eyes off her. "Everyone, out."

With that, all the mobsters stood up and made their way out. Mayura tried to follow as discreetly as humanly possible, but was stopped by Shimon once more. "Again, not you."

She mentally groaned and remained with her back facing him. Watching the door shut, she heard Shimon rise from his seat, the sound of the chair rolling against the floor, and him sitting on the edge of the desk. She didn't even need to turn around to know all this was happening right behind her.

"Turn around, and face me." Doing as she was told, she flinched slightly upon the sight of the pistol in his hands - years of fighting with guns and knives made her immune to the fear of seeing those weapons, but she had to admit she wasn't keen on finding out what he was about to use it for.

In fact, looking at the gun in his hand now, it reminded her of another time when she had acted out of line. Boy, she nearly had a heart attack…

* * *

 _It has been a month since Mayura worked as a sla- caretaker of this mafia base, she had long given up on killing Shimon - on the account of her never-ending failed attempts to murder him - and decided to just do her job._

 _Not without fighting back every once in awhile, oh no. It would be way too out of character for an ex-gang leader like herself to behave too submissively. And it's not like she wanted to submit to him completely, hell no._

 _Heck, she once contemplated on running away, but eventually didn't because, first, she didn't have the money, passport or identification to travel. Second, even if she did have any of those, it's not like she was willing to throw away the life she had crafted for herself just to save herself the humiliation. Third, even if she managed to escape, she had a sinking feeling he'd find her immediately._

 _Stepping into his office, on time, she was greeted by the mobsters that hung out there on a daily basis. Apparently they were the top hitmen in his arsenal. Giving small smiles and friendly waves back, she stopped in front of Shimon's desk and grudgingly greeted him._

" _Good morning, Boss." Her eye twitched when he ignored her and continued with his own business. Brushing it aside, she cleared her throat, catching the attention of everyone, except him, once again. "I'm going on the usual drink run. Anyone wants anything?"_

 _Various shouts of coffee and tea were heard, and Mayura made it an effort to memorise them all - she's been doing this for a month now, no biggie - and noticed only he hadn't replied. "Boss?"_

 _Apparently, he heard her this time, and looked up from the papers in front of him and gave her an agitated glare. "You're annoying and noisy. Shut the fuck up."_

 _Her eye twitched again. Annoying? Noisy? If he wasn't a mafia boss, and she wasn't in his base with tons of his men surrounding her, she would have popped a cap into that infuriating skull of his. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned her head to face Keiji, who gave her his usual smile. "Just get him his usual coffee. He worked till pretty late last night, so he's rather cranky now."_

 _Mayura simply nodded, and left to get the drinks everyone requested. Stirring the cup of coffee she prepared for Shimon, her eyes landed on the glass bottles before her, and grinned deviously. Opening one of them and emptying half the contents into his cup, she bit back her laughter as she continued stirring._

 _This was going to be for calling her annoying and noisy._

 _Balancing the trays of drinks, she made her way back to the office. After giving out everyone's drinks - and receiving tons of thanks which she very much appreciated - she gingerly placed his cup in front of him, before retiring into the far corner of the room, holding the tray before her in anticipation._

 _Keiji immediately noticed and raised a brow. Just what was she going to do this time? Wasn't one month of failed attempts to murder him enough to put her down?_

 _Typing out the last few words of his report, Shimon leaned his head back before cracking his neck. Eying the cup before him, he reached out for it and brought it to his lips. After the first sip, he did a spit take._

 _Literally._

 _Spitting out the coffee through the hand covered over his mouth, he began hacking furiously while the rest of the members stood up, alarmed at this turn of events. The only ones remaining calm were Mayura and Keiji. The said girl was discreetly taking photos of his vulnerable state. All the while biting her bottom lip to restrain the bout of laughter that threatened to spill from her lips._

 _However, Shimon, being Shimon, was quick to figure out what happened, and without hesitation, pulled out a gun from his drawer and fired it. The bullet he shot made its mark in the wall, right next to where Mayura's head was._

 _Paling slightly, she sucked in a breath as he slowly tilted his head up to look at her. His bangs casted a shadow over his eyes, and the back of his fist was below his lips - to wipe his chin which was splattered on with coffee - as his eyes shot daggers at her._

 _He was like Satan - sinisterly dangerous yet devilishly handsome at the same time._

" _Are you fucking kidding me? Chilli powder in my coffee? Just what do you get off from doing this shit?" He snarled, his piercing gaze demanding an answer. Mayura's legs nearly crippled under the intensity of his glare, as she mustered her courage - which wasn't very much at the moment, mind you - and exclaimed in what she hoped was a smug tone. "P-Payback! B-Besides, it's not like it would've killed you or anything!"_

 _She didn't like how eerily silent he became, and anxiously waited for a reaction, a word, anything. Soon, he put both hands and slowly rose to his feet, and looked up to her with a look that promised a slow and painful death. "I'll_ _ **show**_ _you payback."_

 _With that, he jumped up and was ready to launch at her, but Keiji and a few others were quick to hold him back. Something Mayura was thankful for, as she dashed out of the office and took refuge in her new hiding place upon arriving in this hell: the storage closet. And remained in there for about an hour or so - she wasn't sure how long it would take for the demon to calm down._

* * *

Well, no one's here to save her now. Warily, she studied his appearance in his current posture. He was wearing this sleeveless, skin-tight, black crop top, with his usual scarf around his neck, along with beige, baggy pants shoved into his usual combat boots.

His attire revealed the very defined biceps of his lean arms and the crazy eight-pack on his stomach. Not to mention the v-shaped outline of his pelvis, courtesy of the hem of his pants hanging dangerously low on his hips. Seriously, for someone who stays in all day, and night on several occassions, working behind the desk, his muscles were insane. And as a young woman who didn't dislike male attributes, she couldn't help but stare.

Noticing where her gaze was, he gave a slight smirk, seemingly pleased and satisfied with the attention she gave him, and commented, "Try not to drool, slave."

Hearing the snarky tone in his voice, she immediately averted her gaze and looked to the side, cheeks pink as she rebutted, "Don't get so cocky! I wasn't…"

He lifted a hand, to which she instantly turned back to face, and gestured her to go forward. Stilling for a moment, she defiantly shook her head.

"Come over here, now," He ordered, and Mayura took a step back. This invited him forward, which made her take another step back. They continued this till her back hit the wall, causing her to curse her luck.

Looking back at Shimon, she noticed him slowly raise the gun, clearly nearing his limits. Eyes widening, her leg shot out instinctively and kicked the gun out of his hand. Freezing, realization of her own actions dawned on her as she warily observed his reaction.

Opening and closing his fist a few times, he slowly looked back at her from his hand and, with an enraged grin, growled, "You. Are. Dead."

Letting out a terrified squeal, she dodged out of the way right before he could grab her and made her way around to the couch. Too bad for her, he saw through her and moved in front of her, blocking her way.

Freezing, she contemplated on what to do next, which allowed him to grab her and throw her onto the couch. Letting out a yelp as her back made contact with the soft surface, she glared up at Shimon, who was already above her.

...Was it just her, or was there something very familiar about this scenario?

"How bold of you, kicking a gun out of a mafia boss' hand. You seem to really want to die. How are you going to make it up to me?" he hissed, looking down at Mayura. She turned her head to the side - unknowingly causing her hair to move aside and expose her neck in the process - with her eyes closed and brows furrowed.

"I don't have enough money to ever pay you. In case you've forgotten, you don't pay me to do all this shit. And the few hours I work over the weekends is barely enough for me to get by," she replied gruffly. Seriously, she wouldn't be so reluctant to go to the base on a daily basis, if she were getting paid and if her life wasn't in his hands.

But, no such luck.

Feeling his breath fanning her neck, her eyes shot open and quickly looked to her side, where she could see his spiky, crimson hair at her neck. "Too bad, looks like you will be working for me, even in the afterlife. But if you'd like for that time to pass faster, you could offer me some of your...services."

She involuntarily shivered when she felt his lips brush past the nape of her nape. Biting her bottom lip, she fought back the moan that threatened to escape, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of controlling her every reaction. Why did her neck have to be so damn sensitive, anyway?!

"Y-You...grand phoenix of immoral perversion!" She managed to gasp out, which made Shimon freeze upon hearing that weird nickname. Soon, she felt a sharp pain in her neck, causing her to yelp out in pain.

Unable to bare it any further, she gave him a hard push, and got off the couch. Backing away from him, she brought up a hand to her neck and felt the familiar warmth of blood. Paling, she pulled her hand away from her neck and observed the crimson liquid that trickled down her arm in a single drop.

"You...actually bit me?!" She screeched, looking back up to face him, just in time to see his tongue swipe across his lower lip, licking up the blood on his mouth in the process, as a smirk appeared on his lips.

"I'll leave your punishment at that. Don't be late again," he stated, before getting up and returning to the documents on his table, like he didn't just bite her neck. Cheeks flushing red, she stormed towards the exit and slammed open the doors.

Stepping out, she came face to face with the top hitmen of the mafia, who were all grinning and giving her that look that suggested they did the deed.

"It's not like that, you pervs!" She exclaimed, kicking the leg of the guy nearest to her, who happened to be Amawaka Mitsuka. This guy was much like the brother she never had - and strangely, the name 'Amawaka' felt awfully familiar to her - and was almost as close to him as she was to Keiji.

But that's besides the point. She fumed as she stormed off to the toilet, and upon entering, quickly tended to her now wounded neck. Pulling out a plaster from the small pouch she carried with her on a daily basis - she had to be crazy to enter a mafia base without proper first aid ready - she stuck it over her neck, making sure it covered over the bite mark of Shimon's ridiculously sharp canine teeth.

When she was done, she left with a sigh, making her way to the storage closet to get the cleaning supplies. Damn, she just started the day and it was already looking bad for her.

* * *

After Mayura had cleared the mess caused by the members and had cleaned the floors - as well as gotten Shimon another cup of coffee that didn't contain anything extra - Keiji walked over and sat at the edge of Shimon's desk, arms crossed. He watched Shimon type away on his laptop with a slightly agitated expression on his face. Raising a brow, Keiji asked, "Problems with the current head?"

"Well, no and yes. He is a little...pushy with the demands, but nothing I can't handle. It's not him, though." Shimon replied, not looking away from the screen. The edge of Keiji's lips twerked upwards as he watched the slightly dazed look that momentarily appeared in Shimon's eyes.

"Ah, it's about Mayura-chan, then." Amusement filled his being when Shimon's fingers paused and a pink hue appeared on his cheeks, before he regained himself and forced the blush down. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Puh-lease. Everyone with eyes can see clearly how you are totally into her," Mitsuka commented, as he sat cross-legged on the ground, chugging down another mug of beer. Despite his laidback appearance, he was one of the most accomplished assassins in the mafia.

"Yeah, but she can't."

"Only because you treat her like a slave, over-exaggerate whenever she does something and constantly try to kill her," Amawaka Yuzuru, a raven-haired beauty with a scar over her eye, explained as she leaned back in the couch she was lounging on, swinging one leg over the other. "How could she not see it as anything else but love?"

"It is _not_ love," Shimon stiffly replied, emphasizing on the negation, which only received a scoff from Yuzuru and her husband, Yosami Jinya.

Jinya rolled his eyes upon hearing his current boss' response. "Riiiight. And Keiji is not a flirt who has banged dozens of ladies."

"Hey, don't blame me, some of them are beautiful, and worth it." Keiji protested indignantly, dramatically gasping as he placed a hand on his chest, acting offended just for the humour.

"How on earth you've kept that one woman as your girlfriend remains a mystery, man." Mitsuka said.

At that, Keiji gave a pout as he explained grudgingly, "It's because we trust each other. Just because I go around humping at other ladies' leg doesn't mean I've given my heart to them. It's already hers."

"Interesting, however we aren't here to talk about your love life, but the Boss'," Yuzuru interjected, turning back to look at Shimon, who rolled his eyes at his brother's antics and continued with his report. "But seriously, how much longer do you intend to stall? I mean, the sexual tension is high every time the two of you interact. I can't tell if you two wanna kill or fuck each other."

"...Neither can I," Shimon muttered in a low voice, but it didn't go pass the top hitmen's ears. The aforementioned four exchanged knowing looks and smirked. Sensing the change in mood, Shimon raised his head, only to still upon seeing the looks on their faces.

He swallowed hard - they definitely heard him. Damn the sharp senses they had developed over the time they served under him. Though they were supposed to use them to kill and prevent from being killed instead of spying on his private thoughts blurted out.

"Oh? So you don't deny your lust for her, at the very least?" Keiji questioned, and Shimon's brow twitched slightly as he looked down once more, and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Who wouldn't, when she has a body like _that_?" He blurted out, and quickly covered his mouth with his hand upon realising what he had said. Looking up once more, he saw all his top hitmen staring at him with wide eyes. But what ultimately shook him to the core was the very subject of their conversation, standing before the double doors, with a raised brow.

Safe to say that, judging from the confused look on her face, that she didn't not catch the entire conversation.

"Who has a body like what?" Mayura questioned, tilting her head to the side.

Shimon quickly put on a professional front and replied, "It's none of your concern."

Her eye twitched at the tone before speaking up once more. "Well, while you are chatting about things clearly none of my business, as you've so _kindly_ stated, I need to go clean up the rest of this building."

"And you're here because?"

"Just checking if anyone needed anything else before I get started. Is that a problem?" She countered, more than a little annoyed with his attitude. Shimon narrowed his eyes, but didn't move or grab a weapon - which was a relief on Mayura's part - as she glared back. Both completely unaware of how uncomfortable the hitmen were under the growing tension.

Shimon finally spoke up with a dark look on his face. "You make it really, really hard to like you."

"And I don't like your attitude. Do something about that and I might just become much more pleasant towards you," Mayura replied, turning around and walking out the door, unconsciously swaying her hips sensually as she did, before closing it behind her. As soon as the door clicked shut, Shimon let out a low groan and pushed himself away from the table, leaning back into his chair whilst throwing his head back.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he ignored the low sniggers from the hitmen within the room as he attempted to calm his rising irritation and frustration. And it took less than a second for Keiji to recognise the intense look of lust in Shimon's eyes before they were closed, which made him all the more amused as he observed his younger brother conceal that lust.

And there was only one thought going through Shimon's mind: that girl was going to be the death of him.

* * *

Mayura let out a sigh as she set aside the vacuum she was holding, before leaning against the wall herself. Cleaning all fifty floors of this damned corporation all by herself was beyond tiring. It was absolutely back-breaking and debilitating.

If it wasn't punishment by Shimon's hand for messing around with him, this building was definitely going to be the death of her.

All of a sudden she felt her phone vibrating in her back pocket and fished it out to answer the incoming call. "Hello?"

"Yo, Mayura!"

"It's been a long time, Mayura." She heard two very different voices from the speaker. One boisterous male and one docile female.

"Hey, Rokuro, Benio. It's been a long time." She greeted, a small smile coming to her face. Apparently, even though their gang disbanded years ago, some of the members still kept in touch, and amongst them all, these two - along with one more - were the closest to her. It was mainly due to the fact that they were the same age as her, and they stayed in contact till now.

"Two years. Been so long since we last hung out," Rokuro stated.

"What are you getting at?"

"We are actually hosting a party this Friday, the location quite nearby that mafia building you're working at. We thought, maybe you would like to come over for a couple of hours and unwind a little? It sounds like you could use the rest," Benio explained in her ever-polite manner, and Mayura, as much as she loved to say yes, turned down the offer in the blink of an eye.

"No can do."

"Eh? Why not?!" Rokuro exclaimed.

"Fridays are the days Shi- Boss stays overnight to finish up work so that his weekend is free, and I still have to go to work on weekends, so I can't afford to sleep in." Mayura explained, sighing exasperatedly at the end. Working around that blasted man made her unconsciously aware of his mental schedule, she didn't even need to think for a moment to know it like the back of her hand.

"Why not just sneak out during the afternoon or evening? As I said earlier, just come by for a couple of hours. It's not like he can see you twenty-four seven, since you're busy cleaning other floors, so he won't actually know you're gone." The suggestion came from Benio, which almost made Mayura chuckle. Benio has always been the most disciplined one among their gang, following through plans and obeying the rules, making sure whatever she did was at least borderline legal. So for her to suggest such a thing would be a surprise, but…

"As expected from a former mobster; rebellious to the end." Mayura commented with a grin, receiving a chuckle from the girl on the other end, who replied, "Oh please. Just because the gang disbanded doesn't mean I'm no longer a mobster. I'm just unlabelled. And besides, I learned from the very best."

"Why, thank you," Mayura said in mock honour, before the three of them cracked up with light laughter. When they finally calmed down, Rokuro questioned once more, "So, will you come, Mayura?"

Mayura pondered on it for a second. It was as Benio said, it's not like Shimon had her within his sights all the time, and a couple of hours away from the demon wouldn't hurt.

"Okay. I'll contact you on the day itself to confirm my attendance. Make sure you come around six to pick me up, and grab me a dress to wear, too," Mayura finally replied, which earned simultaneous excited cries of 'yes' from both Rokuro and Benio.

Shaking her head, she hung up with a knowing smirk. It was just like those two to synchronise their reactions at that moment. She wasn't the least bit surprised when she found out they had begun dating a while back.

Now then, to plan her escape this Friday… Hey, it may be suicidal, but she's _already_ past that.

* * *

Friday finally came about, Mayura was just about done with most of the floors, with only one left. Glancing at the clock nearby, she noted it was only fifteen minutes to six. She was usually expected to stay in Shimon's office to attend to any of his needs when she was done cleaning the building, so she was going to need an excuse to stay out of Shimon's sight for the next two hours.

Keeping the cleaning tools into the storage closet, she went up to the floor where Shimon's office, knocking twice before creaking open the door slightly, sticking her head through the gap to see Shimon working behind the desk, as usual. His attention remained on his work, but she knew he was aware of her presence.

"Um… some of the floors are looking a little messy, so I'm going to go tidy them up. I'll be gone for a couple of hours. Is that… fine?" Mayura questioned hesitantly, and nearly leaped in excitement when she saw Shimon give a faint nod, still not looking her way. She barely contained herself as she closed the door.

As soon as she did, she quickly made her way down to the first floor, before sneaking out of the back entrance, making sure to keep out of Yuri's line of sight. She stepped out into the open, just in time to see a bright red Audi R8 Convertible roll by. The top opened up to reveal the raven-haired girl sitting in the driver's seats.

She slide the large sunglasses up to rest on top of her head, and flashed Mayura an elegant smile. "Pleasure to see you again, Mayura."

"Likewise, Benio." Mayura studied her ex-gangmate as she opened the car door and slid in to settle next to Benio. The raven-haired girl was dressed in a raven-blue tube mini dress with a flared skirt that ended mid-thigh, with a black leather double-biker crop jacket. Around her neck was a plain, black choker, and she had a pair of plain, dangling diamond earrings on, while her long, straight hair had been curled and was done up in a high ponytail, leaving her bangs hanging out. The look was completed with a pair of black thigh-high, one-inch heeled boots.

"The stuff you requested for and need are in that paper bag in the back," Benio stated as she drove off as soon as Mayura closed the car door, sticking her thumb behind her as indication. Mayura twisted around in her seat and reached for said bag, before pulling out the black velvety cloth inside.

Holding it out in front of her, she nodded in approval at the dress Benio had chosen for her. It was a jet black, key largo bodycon dress that ended just above her mid-thigh, the straps studded with fake diamonds, and there was a deep cut in the centre which would reveal quite a lot of cleavage, but it didn't matter much to her. She quickly stripped herself of the cropped hoodie and denim shorts she had been wearing that day and slipped on the dress. It fit her like a glove.

Digging through the paper bag once more, she pulled out several accessories. A pair of simple silver hoop earrings, a silver, diamond-studded bangle, and a silver-plated sakura hairpin. As she put on the earrings and bangle, she tilted her head towards Benio and questioned, "Where do you get the money to buy all _this_?"

"You forget, I come from a rather rich and well-off family, plus I still have tons of savings from the money I stole when the gang was still around," Benio replied, a slightly smug smirk playing her lips, but her eyes weren't prideful or condescending, simply filled with reverence.

"Lucky you," Mayura commented, not particularly bothered by Benio's reply, as she did her into a messy updo using the pin. In the past, she would've snapped bitterly or slapped whoever bragged about their family, but she knew better than anyone else whenever her own gang members were gloating or not. Removing her sneakers, she slipped her feet into the black, three-inch heeled ankle-boots.

In a few minutes, they arrived their destination: one of the local clubs. It was brimming with people and it was rowdy, people dancing, grinding against each other, drinking their brains out, nothing that was new to her eyes. Amongst the crowd, she immediately spotted the gang gathered at one corner, smiling and laughing happily. Pushing her fears of being discovered gone from the base to the back of her mind, she had a wide smile on as she approached them with Benio by her side.

"Oh, Mayura! Benio!" Rokuro called out upon noticing them, causing the rest of the group to turn and face them. The group consisted of Rokuro, Benio, Ryougo, Haruka, Shin'nosuke and Atsushi.

They were originally a group of seven - although a series of events lead to their seventh member's withdrawal - and despite their slim number, they were the most notorious and infamous gang in, not just this neighbourhood, but several others nearby as well.

Mayura took a moment to take in everyone's appearance. Everyone, including Benio, had grown taller and physically matured - she hadn't noticed Benio's change in height earlier as they were seated in the car - and were looking better than ever.

Rokuro grew significantly taller, although she noted he wasn't as tall as Shimon, but that was to be expected as Shimon was older - not that she really cared, she thought with a roll of her eyes. He was clad in a simple, white, button-down collar shirt, which was untucked, and over it he wore a simply black jacket with the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows. Bordeaux red skinny pants donned his legs, the look completed by a pair of laced black canvas flat shoes.

Ryougo didn't grow that much taller, but his hair grew longer, as visibly noted by the now slightly lengthened braid by the side of his face. He was wearing a plain, black shirt, with a raven-blue, long-sleeved hoodie over it, and around his neck hung a dog tag necklace. With a pair of light blue denim jeans and a pair of simple blue canvas flats, his look was complete.

Haruka appeared to be brighter than ever, and her wavy, purple hair was significantly longer compared to before. Mayura presumed it reached below her shoulders, judging from the length of the ponytail she had tied it into. She was dressed in a black, spaghetti-strapped, double-layered v neck crop top and a pair of dark-blue denim shorts with ripped ends, a long, silver bomber jacket which reached her knees over it all.

The attire tastefully exposed her toned stomach - a result of years of fighting in the gang, something no one needed to know but would be recognised by a professional mobster on sight. Long drop charm earrings with amethyst gems dangled from her ears, and a silver, triple-stringed choker hung around her neck, her look completed by the pair of dark brown, thigh-high one-inch heeled boots.

Atsushi was clad in a plain, white t-shirt with a long, red sleeveless hoodie over it, with a pair of black, three-quarter pants. He had a thick, brown leather bracelet, along with two red and black wristbands, around his right wrist, while a simple, black-stringed layered choker wrapped around his neck. Finally, a pair of dark blue high-top sneakers to complete the look. He didn't seem to have changed much; he looked as baby-faced as ever.

Shin'nosuke had his purple bangs over his eyes, as usual, but Mayura could tell how his facial feature had become more defined over the years, and he grew slightly taller too - Mayura mentally grumbled over the fact that most of them were growing taller while her height barely changed.

He was wearing a black, hooded top, with long sleeves that nearly went past his fingers and cat ears on the hood, and a simple, dark purple choker around his neck. Navy blue trousers donned his legs, a triple-stringed hip-hop pants chain, from the second string of which hung several detachable bullets - which naturally looked faked but was very much real - and a pair of light blue loafers on his feets.

After a few moments of exchanging greetings, Mayura finally asked, "So, what are we going to be doing tonight, anyways?"

"Drinking like the end of the world, for the most part. Also, this happens to be a karaoke club, so we'll be singing as well. As usual, ladies first," Rokuro stated sarcastically, a smirk tugging at the ends of his lips. As the group settled down into a table, they ordered dozens of drinks: beer, sake, vodka and the list went on.

Popping open her first bottle, Mayura took a large gulp before muttering to herself, "This is going to be a long night…"

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! For that bite scene, I kinda got the idea from 'Fifty Shades of Grey' (if you now it). Please do review!**

 **XOXO, anime4life2112**


	3. Naughty Children Ought to be Punished

**Hello dearest readers! A thousand apologies for the late update; school has kept me extremely busy this semester. I hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Sousei No Onmyouji/Twin Star Exorcists, just the plot and some OCs (some more significant than others)**

* * *

Chapter 3: Naughty children ought to be punished

Shimon looked through his documents while reaching out to grab the handle of his cup, about to take another sip of coffee, only to realise it was empty. He turned to face Keiji, who was obediently standing next to his desk, apparently on the phone, messaging his girlfriend.

"Where's Mayura?" He asked, immediately catching the attention of Keiji - and a few others - who averted his gaze away from his phone and towards his boss.

"I believe she is cleaning up one of the lower floors."

"Why isn't she done and keeping me company?" Shimon grumbled, going back to his paperwork and continued typing away on his laptop. This garnered a few chuckles - from the few who were brave enough to laugh right in their boss' face.

"Do you treasure her so much so that you need her by your side every moment of your life?" Keiji asked teasingly, to which Shimon simply scoffed - despite the fact that his heartbeat sped up at the thought - and replied, "Don't be ridiculous, I just need my slave to bring me a refill of coffee."

With that, he picked up his phone from his desk and dialled in Mayura's contact - something he memorised since the first day she worked under him. After several rings, he began to get rather annoyed upon hearing her voicemail and growled, "Why the hell isn't she answering my calls?"

"You've been on the phone for less than five seconds, Shimon."

"Oh, shut up," Shimon snapped, drumming his fingers on the wooden surface of his desk as he received her voicemail once more. "Damn it, is she so busy that she can't even answer a call? Go find her and bring her to me. I'm going to kill her for ignoring me."

Keiji let out an exasperated sigh and gave a resigned smile before leaving the room. Shimon remained seated and impatiently waited, putting on his headphones while swivelling the chair around to face the window, looking out to view the night lights of the city.

Hearing the door open once more, he slid off his headphones, turned around and growled, "You little bi-" He paused mid-sentence upon realising that Keiji was standing at the doorway, alone.

"She… isn't here."

Shimon's eyes widened at that, and snarled, "What did you just say? What the fuck do you mean 'she isn't here'?"

"It is as I said, she ain't here. I checked the surveillance cameras and cross-checked with our men. No one has seen her in the last… three and a half hours," Keiji carefully replied, checking his watch as he said this. Shimon gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, anger bubbling to the surface and threatening to spill over.

"Why not cut her some slack? You never give her a break, and she comes everyday from morning till night to clean this place; not to mention she works on her weekends, and days off are spent here," Mitsuka stated, rising from the couch he had been lounging on and stretched his stiff limbs. His words earned him a look from Shimon; one that instantly sent him down on his hands and knees, head bowed low.

"Forgive my being presumptuous."

Clicking his tongue, he picked up his phone once more and dialled a different number, before bringing the metallic device to his ear. "I need you to track a phone, a bird flew out of its cage."

He then rose out of his chair and made his way to the door - Keiji grabbing his coat from the pole stand and placing it over Shimon's shoulders - with several hitmen trailing behind.

"Amawaka Mayura."

* * *

Mayura: _Every girl is capable of murder_

 _So watch out you don't push me any further_

 _(But you fucking hurt her)_

 _Every girl is capable of murder, if you hurt her_

 _Watch out you don't push me any further (Any further)_

 _You're not the only one walkin' round with a loaded gun_

 _This little girl is capable of murder (Hey!)_

 _This little girl is capable of murder, 'cause you hurt her_

Tossing the microphone towards the DJ, who easily caught it with one hand, Mayura stalked over to the couch where her friends were at and collapsed in an unceremonious heap. The world was spinning, and she could barely see straight, not to mention it felt like her body was floating, but she had never felt better in a good, long time.

"Ah~ I've never felt more aliiiiive…" Mayura moaned, slurring evident in her words as she spoke. Her body was sprawled across the couch she was settled in - with Benio in her right and Haruka on her left - and a goofy smile on her face.

"Wow… four hours and you're thoroughly hammered." Haruka stated, taking a swig from her bottle of vodka.

"Amazing," Benio agreed, chuckling slightly as she eyed her busty friend's sluggish state.

"Oh no… four hours…" Mayura exclaimed, clumsily raising her upper body - and failing epically - still feeling tipsy. "Mister Red Chicken is going to be so pissed~ "

"Damn right, he is," A low voice growled, jolting the rest of the gang, who yelped and immediately leaped into action and spun around, finding themselves face to face with the crimson-haired mafia lord and several of his hitmen. "And who the hell are you calling a 'red chicken'?!"

"Holy shi- Who're you guys?!" Benio exclaimed, extremely alarmed. They may have been a gang and are used to bashing skulls in, but even so, if they were going up against members of a mafia, fighting without weapons would easily spell their deaths.

"That is none of your concern. But I do have something I want from you. Hand it to me," Shimon declared, giving a smug smirk as he eyed their cowering forms.

"What the hell do you mean, 'it'?! Mayura is not an object!" Rokuro growled, immensely furious at the fact that his childhood friend and best friend - second only to Benio - was being insulted. The rest of the gang seemed to have the same sentiments as they shot the mafia members, Shimon in particular, disapproving glares.

"Maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that her life is mine - she belongs to me," Shimon simply replied, before raising his hand and snapping his fingers. At the signal, his hitmen moved forward. The gang warily shuffled backwards, Haruka and Benio quickly turned around to grab Mayura by her respective arms and pulled her away.

Watching his subordinates engage in hand-to-hand combat with the males of the gang, Shimon let out a sigh and began walking briskly towards the females, the two less-drunk girls letting out curses when they noticed him. Settling Mayura behind them, they got into fighting stances and stared incredulously at Shimon's outstretched arm.

"No way in hell are we handing her over to you!" Haruka remarked, glaring at Shimon. The crimson-haired male stared at the two of them with bored eyes and let out another sigh, hand pushing back the side of his coat and reaching behind his waist, resting on the handle of the gun stashed in the waistband of his pants. Recognising the gesture, Benio's and Haruka's eyes grew wide, and backed up further.

Till something unexpected happen.

Mayura suddenly appeared in front of the two girls, and unintentionally pressed herself against Shimon as she rushed over to him, a firm grip on his wrist despite her drunken state.

"Ah~ No can do, those are my friends! I won't forgive you if you hurt them~" Mayura whined childishly, not realising the effect she had on Shimon as she spoke. The said boy's cheeks were slightly flushed at the contact, and he scowled but let go of his gun nonetheless. Meanwhile, the two girls were too alarmed - by this weird turn of events - and worried about Mayura to notice this.

"Wai- Mayura!" Benio exclaimed anxiously, desperate to get her away - far, far away, mind you - from the mafia boss before them, but Shimon was faster. Now that he had let go of his gun, with both hands free, he swooped Mayura into a princess hold and shot an icy glare towards the duo, who froze in their tracks.

"I got what I needed. Don't follow us," he growled, almost possessively, and the girls picked up the underlying threat laced in his tone. At first, they were against the idea of backing down and letting him have his way with Mayura, but after much contemplation, they - albeit reluctantly - admitted that they were no match for a mafia lord, especially if they were weaponless. The two girls retreated and rushed over to pull the guys away and leave the club.

The hitmen were about to give chase when their boss' voice stopped them. "Don't bother. They are not our concern or objective. Let's go."

"Okay. Understood, Shimon," Keiji spoke up for everyone, and turned around to face his younger brother, before he raised both brows at the sight before him: Shimon was holding Mayura in a, rather notably possessive, princess hold. And apparently, he wasn't the only one who noticed; Mitsuka, Yuzuru and Jinya also took note of the gesture. And all four of them smirked at Shimon.

Noticing the looks on their faces, Shimon immediately realised what they were thinking of, and unfortunately, he had no one else but himself to blame. But that didn't mean he couldn't intimidate them to silence.

" _Don't_ say. A word," Shimon threatened, and with the deadly gleam in his eye as he glared at the quadlet, there was no way they could go against him. But still, their smirks remained, and they exchanged knowingly looks. Rolling his eyes with a low groan, he made his way to the limo and slid in, Keiji holding the door open for him.

He then settled Mayura across the seat next to him, while the four entered and sat in the seats facing him. His chauffeur, upon ensuring everyone was in, started up the limo and drove off.

Shimon clicked his tongue, as he swung one leg over the other and looked out of the window, cheek resting on the back of his hand with his elbow propped on the armrest of the door. He had yet to finish his paperwork, and coming all the way out here has wasted his precious time. Just how was she going to make up for this…

As his devilish mind began coming up with cruel ideas, he heard shuffling next to him, and directed his attention on Mayura, who remained sprawled on the seat, but now with her upper body raised by her arms. Several locks of hair were falling out of her hairdo, her cheeks were dusted pink and eyes were, quite literally, twinkling - no doubt the effects of consuming alcohol - and she was staring at him with an unusually gentle and warm expression that seemed to melt his icy walls. He swallowed hard as he returned her gaze with his own.

It was almost as if she was inviting him to ravish her, and that attire of hers really wasn't helping; it exposed her cleavage and outlined her curves perfectly, not to mention it was beginning to ride up her thighs.

"Shi… mon?" She muttered, tilting her head to the side as she spoke. He simply blinked in response - despite how wildly his heart was thumping against his chest at the sound of his name rolling of her tongue - with his stare fixated on her.

"... What?" He hesitantly replied, before jolting in surprise when she lunged for him, smashing her abundant chest against his abdomen while her arms wound around his neck. The four mobsters sitting opposite them watched in amusement as Mayura snuggled up to their boss, affectionately rubbing her cheek against his chest. The gesture, without a doubt, flustered Shimon as he struggled to get away from her - not in disgust, but in embarrassment. However, her grip on him was surprisingly firm.

"Shimon, Shimon, Shimon~!" She chanted playfully, very much like a child would, as a cheeky smile played her lips. The crimson-haired male struggled to fight back the blush that threatened to rise - without much luck - as he helplessly watched Mayura nestle against his chest. He frowned, slightly agitated by the fact that he was _so_ not in control of this situation.

"Oh god, _what_ is it?"

"You're so warm… " she mumbled, trailing off at the end as she nuzzled into his chest. He clicked his tongue, before shrugging off his long coat and pulling it over her curled-up form, covering her all the way to the neck.

"If you were feeling cold, you should've just said so," he grumbled, glaring down at the green-tipped blonde, who now had her head lying on his lap as she stared up at him with her still glazed eyes. All of a sudden, a gentle smile spread across her face as a hand reached up to stroke his cheek. Taken aback by the gesture, Shimon loosened his frown to stare at her with slightly widened eyes.

She let out a laugh - which was undeniably cute - as she commented, "You have such a nice face, you'd look cuter if you smiled more often!"

Shimon's cheeks turned pink when he said this, and frowned once more. When she had reached, she caused the coat to fall from her shoulders, exposing her cleavage and putting it in plain sight. His gaze partially fixated on it, Shimon clenched his jaw and furrowed his brows into a faint glare. "... Do you want me to rape you?"

Mayura was unfazed by the threat - if it even were a threat - as her eyes narrowed slightly, unintentionally seductively, the smile still on her lips. "Well, not that I mind the frowny face. It makes you look sexy~!"

Shimon stared intensely at her drunken state, before reaching out to pull the coat up to her neck once more, and turned to face out the window. Propping his elbow on the arm rest and resting his chin on his open palm, he growled, "... Seriously gonna rape you."

Hearing a muffled giggle, he looked up to see his four subordinates watching him and Mayura, looking touched. He shot them a deadly glare and snarled, "The hell are you guys looking at?"

With the exception of Keiji, they instantly looked away and pretended to look oblivious, like they hadn't been watching the adorable exchange between their boss and his favourite slave. The said brother simply continued staring, and smiling widely. In fact, he was smiling so much, it was almost creepy, and one could almost see the animated sparkles glinting around him.

"Quit smiling, you look weird," Shimon growled, and Keiji only smiled wider.

"Can you blame me? I'm enjoying watching my dear little brother and the love of his life together like this! You two would make such cute babies!" Keiji squealed, almost fangirl-like. This earned skeptical look from Yuzuru, who muttered, "Well, that escalated rather quickly."

Shimon simply sighed at his brother's antics, used to it at this point, and stared out of the window once more. Noticing the troubled look on his face, Jin'ya spoke up.

"Something wrong, boss?"

"No, just thinking about tomorrow's meeting with the other bosses. It is the second official gathering of the mafia lords since the leader changed, after all. I'm just concerned about what will be discussed."

"You don't think they have made their move already, do you?"

"No. If that were the case, the leader wouldn't bother with a meeting, and just mobilise us. I guess he must have sensed that they will act soon."

"After ten years? A bit of a stretch, don't you think?"

"True, but they probably waited that long to throw us off-course. After all, eliminating Seigen-san was only the trigger of their plans," Shimon replied, before looking back down to find the drunk girl fast asleep on his lap. The frown loosened up as his eyes softened, bringing a hand to gently stroke her head. Hearing the sound of a digital camera snapping, he whipped his head upwards and found Keiji holding his phone before him. "Did you just- "

"Totally take a photo and memorialise it? Oh, definitely!" Keiji replied, sniggering to himself as he speedily sent the image to several members of their mafia. Shimon frowned once more, and was about to tell him to delete the photo when Mitsuka spoke up.

"So, boss, what are you going to do with her?" He questioned, nodding towards the blonde who was now fast asleep. Shimon stared down at her for a moment, before a cruel grin played his lips.

"She has a lot of guts to lie to me and escape from my supervision. I think I should give her a good scare tomorrow morning," he cackled, his words and tone causing the temperature to drop as a chill ran down everyone's spine.

'Poor Mayura,' they thought simultaneously, pitying the oblivious gal.

"Sir, we've arrived," The driver said, pulling over. Stepping out of the limo, while the driver held the door open for him, Shimon glanced at the familiar building and tensed. His hand flew to the waist of his pants, gripping onto the handle of his pistol as he glanced around. The place was so shady, dark and ominous, it put him on edge and kept him on guard. He couldn't understand how Mayura found comfort sleeping in such a place.

"Sir, are you not gonna carry her?" Jin'ya asked, nodding toward Mayura, who was now sprawled across the leather seats of the limo. Shimon let out a sigh and bent over to reach out for her, carrying her in a princess hold and making his way up the building. When he was out of earshot, the three turned to each other and wore matching grins.

"How long do you think it'll take before they officially get together?"

"Hard to say. I'd guess a month, but considering how Mayura dislikes the boss when she's sober, I'd say at most two," Yuzuru said.

"I bet two weeks," Jin'ya said, and Keiji's grin grew feral. "How much are you betting?"

"Hm… twenty thousand?"

"I bet thirty thousand on one month," Mitsuka said, pawning his money over to Keiji.

"Forty thousand on approximately two months," Yuzuru said, finalising her bet.

"And I bet a million on six weeks." Keiji stated like it was an everyday thing. Mitsuka, Jin'ya and Yuzuru looked at him incredulously. The chauffeur, Akira, walked over and asked sheepishly.

"Can I get in on those bets?"

"Sure! The more, the merrier! You know what, I'll contact everyone in the mafia to get in on this bet!" And in a few seconds, word of the bet spread through the base like wildfire.

"Naturally, this stays between us. If Shimon ever finds out, it'll be on our heads." Keiji declared, before being interjected by Mitsuka.

"What do you mean 'our'? Don't you mean, 'your' head?"

"Pardon?"

"Yeah, you were the one who started it, asking me how much I would bet. Meaning you should be the one taking full responsibility," Jin'ya replied, and before Keiji could give a comeback, Yuzuru added, "I second the motion."

"What?!"

"What's going on?" Hearing Shimon's voice, all of them instantly shut up and turned around to face their boss, who was just coming down the stairs, his coat hanging from his forearm.

"Shimon! Tucked her in already?"

"If by 'tucked' you mean laying her on that poor excuse of a bed, then yes," Shimon replied, before sliding into the limo. "Come on. I still have a buttload of work to do."

* * *

Mayura winced as the blinding ray of light from the morning sun pierced through her window and shone directly on her face. Bringing an arm up to shield her eyes from the light, her eyes fluttered open into a squint, before rolling over onto her front. The action caused her hangover to hit her, hard, and she emitted a low groan as she brought her hand to her head, rubbing her temples.

She looked around, and slowly took in her surroundings. Recognising the discoloured walls, she briefly wondered how she got back to her house. She shoved her hand into her cleavage and pulled out her handphone - yes, that's where she had hidden it, since the dress didn't have any pockets - and slid her thumb downwards to view her notifications, wincing slightly when the blinding brightness of the screen hit her eyes.

Squinting, her eyes slowly adjusted to the light and when she finally registered what she was looking at, she instantly paled. Over fifty missed calls and twenty messages from the contact 'Red Devil', the latest message saying she was to reach by ten. And it was coming to said time in ten minutes.

She was more than dead - she was utterly fucked, and doomed to hell if she didn't get up and get going _right now_.

Jumping out of her mattress, she practically launched herself towards to her piles of clothes. She stripped out of the beautiful dress so quickly, it was a miracle she didn't end up ripping it. She quickly slipped on a white spaghetti-strapped tube top, pulling a light-grey crop cardigan over it. She quickly buckled a knife-pleated mini-skirt with a dark blue and green checkered print around her waist, and put on a pair of black thigh-high socks before shoving her feet into a pair of simple, black ankle-cut boots.

Grabbing her necessities, she bolted out of the house and slammed the door behind her in a frantic fashion. She sprints across the roads and street paths, heading straight for the headquarters. Taking out her phone, she quickly glanced at the time and cursed aloud; five more minutes. And she hasn't even covered half the travelling distance.

No way was she going to be able to make it in time.

When she finally arrived at the entrance of the tall building, it was already fifteen minutes past ten. Speeding in, she waltzed right past the concierge counter as Yuri was about to greet.

"Mayura-san-"

"Yuri. The elevator. Quick."

The said male sighed with a resigned smile and pressed a button, bringing the lift down instantly. As she waited for the lift to make it's way up to the highest floor, each second feeling like an entire year, she was continuously cursing the entire way. It almost sounded like a mantra of bad omen at this point.

As soon as the lift doors open, she dashed out and went straight into Shimon's office. Slamming open the double doors - which effectively silenced the mobsters within - she rested her palms on her knees as she panted. "I'm… here… "

Greeted with silence, she slowly peered upwards and noticed that, instead of the deadly glare and explosive tantrum she had been expecting, Shimon wasn't even looking at her, but instead focussed on something on his desk… a magazine?"

"Um… "

"Oh, you're finally here," Shimon said nonchalantly, flipping a page as he spoke, as if he only just noticed her presence. "I was just thinking of buying a new coffin. Which do you prefer; black or red?"

"C- _Coffin_?" Mayura squeaked in fear, and her entire being froze when he finally raised his head to reveal the feral grin on his lips. The look in his eyes was steely and cold, but his message got across - loud and clear; it practically screamed, 'You are fucked.'

He slowly raised from his chair and walked around his desk, before standing in front of it and resting on the edge. "All of you, out. And do not come back in till I say so."

With that, all the mobsters in the room slowly filed out. The last one, Keiji, playfully winked at her and flashed her a thumbs-up, mouthing, 'Good luck!' It didn't do much to reassure her of her life, though.

As soon as the doors were closed shut, she kept her head downcast as she waited for Shimon to do something, anything. She listened as he wordlessly loaded a gun - one he was most obviously going to use on her - and fidgeted slightly, unsure of what she should do at this point.

"Well? Do you have anything to say before we begin your punishment?" Shimon questioned, folding his arms across his chest, pistol in hand. Mayura looked sideways before glancing upwards at him.

"... What happened to them?"

"Who are you referring to?"

"The people who were with me at the club last night."

"They aren't dead, that's for sure. They weren't my concern, anyways. **You** were." He replied, growling possessively at the end. His tone caused her to freeze up, more assured than ever that he was beyond furious. Mayura swallowed hard and sunk to the ground, onto her knees, resigned to her fate.

"And you should know by now that I don't take too well to my property disobeying me or being out of my sight," he stated, undoing the safety of the gun.

"I just… wanted to blow off some steam - " She immediately shut up when a bullet grazed past her cheek, forming a small scratch in the process. She wearily peered upwards and nearly collapsed at the sheer intensity of the glare he gave her.

"Did I permit you to speak?" His tone was authoritative and smug, it pissed her off. But she didn't want to risk losing her head should she agitate him further, and instead bit her lower lip, looking away from him.

He pushed himself off the edge of his desk and stepped forward. When he was right in front of her, he knelt down on one knee, and used the muzzle of his gun to tilt Mayura's chin towards him and upwards.

She hitched a breath when her chin was forced upwards, and found Shimon's face right in front of her, his lips millimeters away from hers. She gritted her teeth, and would've moved away if not for the fact she feared acting out of order and infuriating him any more than he already was.

Neither of them flinched or budged, as they continued to stare - or rather, glare - at each other intensely. Neither of them were bothered by the close proximity, much less how intimate their current position looked - which really, shouldn't look intimate at all with a gun being pointed at her chin, but nonetheless. Neither of their gazes wavered as the stare-off commenced.

Eventually, Shimon slowly lowered the gun, eliciting a low sigh from Mayura as she briefly closed her eyes, before reopening them and averting her gaze sideways. Shimon rose from his crouch and took a step back, tucking the gun into the waistband of his pants, before offering a hand to Mayura. She furrowed her brows in sight confusion, but accepted it anyways, and hoisted herself up from the ground.

When she was about to removed her hand, he tightened his grip on it, earning a surprised look from her, which morphed into rigid nervousness when she saw the cold look in his eyes.

"Leave without my permission or knowledge again, and it'll mean your head. Got it?"

Knowing he was dead serious, she nodded furiously, and only then did he let go of her hand. She pressed her lips into a thin line as she rubbed the hand that was grabbed with the other, easing out the faint pain of his bruising grasp. She then turned towards Shimon, opening her mouth and about to speak when she caught him staring at his open hand with his back facing her.

The same hand that held hers mere seconds ago.

"What are you doing?" He inwardly flinched at her question but remained impassive, remaining still for a brief moment before clenching the hand into a fist, dropping it to his side and walking behind his desk to settle down in his chair.

"... Nothing. Anyways, you're two hours later than usual. You should get to work if you expect to get home in time to have sufficient sleep and not be late tomorrow," he stated, opening a drawer to keep the magazine in before returning to his laptop, typing out reports once more. "And tell the others they can come back in."

Mayura raised a brow, unsure of what to make of Shimon's silence and simply hummed in response. She then headed for the doors and opened them, stepping out only to bump into Keiji's chest.

"Oof. Sorry, Keiji-san." She mumbled in apology, bringing up a hand to rub her nose as she looked up at the said man, who simply stared down at her with an amused grin. Which successfully unnerved her.

"W-What is it?"

"So… what happened in there?"

"Nothing much, really. To my surprise. All he did was give a warning shot," she replied, bringing her hand over her cheek to lightly trace the edge of the cut, before pulling her hand away. Her eyes darkened at the sight of the crimson liquid that stained her fingertips, while her facial expression clouded over into an unreadable one.

Noticing the change in her demeanour, Mitsuka gently placed her hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah… yeah. I'm fine," She numbly replied, dropping her hand to her side as she walked past the group of mobsters and made her way to the bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she stood in front of the mirror as she carefully stuck a plaster over the burgundy line.

Her finger lightly traced across the plaster as a frown marred her sweet face. She was getting a bad premonition, and she didn't like it.

Not one bit.

* * *

"Hey, I'm here to clean up the room once more before I leave," Mayura exclaimed as she entered the Boss' office once more, cleaning equipment in hand.

"Oh, hi there Mayura-chan!" Keiji exclaimed, the usual warm smile on his face as he greeted her that evening. Her eyes did a quick sweep across the room and noticed a lack of red.

"Where's the Boss?" She asked.

"Oh, you just missed him, actually," Jin'ya replied, an arm around Yuzuru's shoulders as usual as he took a gulp from his glass of beer.

"Pardon?"

"Boss left a couple of minutes before you entered. Something about a meeting with the other mafia lords of the underground community he is in. As you might have probably already realised, Mitsuka accompanied him," the raven-haired beauty replied, filling in the details Mayura needed. Nodding in understanding, Mayura grabbed the vacuum and got to work.

Suddenly, something in her mind clicked, and she whipped her head towards Keiji, Jin'ya and Yuzuru, and blurted out, "Yesterday, when I was drunk, did I… do something undignified?"

The trio exchanged a look, before flashing devious smirks, which were then directed to her. She swallowed hard, undoubtedly nervous as to what the answer was, judging from their reactions.

"W-Well?"

"Well… I guess it would be an understatement to say, you more or less seduced the Boss in your drunken state."

"... _What_?!" She exclaimed, an octave higher than her usual volume and pitch, causing some of the mobsters to wince slightly, while the trio remained indifferent towards her reaction. In fact, her exclamation only proved to stroke their smugness over the whole situation.

"Yeah, you were lying on his lap, and snuggling up to his chest the whole ride back. And I believe you were calling him some names?" Jin'ya replied, directing the ending question to Yuzuru, who hummed.

"If memory serves me right, she said he would look 'cute' if he smiled, and then he looked 'sexy' when he frowned," Yuzuru added, like she was simply stating a fact and not exposing Mayura's embarrassing display of drunkenness. The said girl had turned crimson in the face, rivalling a certain boss' hair.

"That's a lie!"

"It is, most unfortunately, the undeniable truth," Yuzuru replied with a straight face, but her tone teasing. Her declaration cause Mayura to seemingly wilt, and the green-tipped blonde stalked over to a corner, brought both hands to cover her face, and crouched down.

"My life is over… " She moaned, before mumbling dozens of other sentences non-stop, it began to sound like a chant, echoing off the walls of the room. The members of the mob stared at her, sweatdropping slightly at her behaviour.

"Mayura, calm down…" Keiji muttered, placing. A hand on the girl's shoulder in an attempt to help her relax, while the chanting resumed.

* * *

Shimon casually walked into the room at the far end of the casino, with Mitsuka three paces behind him at all times. He was greeted with the usual faces.

"Oh, Shimon-kun! Good to see you could join us this evening!" The head of the group exclaimed cheerily as he waved towards Shimon, the said male not reacting to his words as he took his seat.

"Since you, the head of the Tsuchimikado alliance, summoned us, there's no way I'd miss the meeting, Arima-sama," Shimon politely replied, shutting his eyes.

"I believe Arima-sama is just saying that it is a pleasure to see you, Shimon!" Ioroi Narumi, the boss of the mafia 'Iron Tempest', exclaimed, 'lightly' patting Shimon on the back, causing the poor boy to nearly stumble out of his seat.

"Do cease your patting, Ioroi. Can't you see his back is going to be destroyed at this rate?" Arata Inanaki, boss of the mafia 'Phantom Familiars', stated, never looking up from the manga in his hands as he nonchalantly flipped the page.

"There's no way it'd be destroyed so easily; Shimon-kun is strong!"

Despite being polar opposites, these two bosses were actually the best of friends since young, along with Arima and Seigen.

"You guys are so annoyingly noisy, as always. Please do try not to take up too much time with your verbal exchanges. Time is money to me," Ujii Kengo, boss of the 'Hexa Aegis', scoffed, scowling slightly as he studied the boisterous man.

"Isn't that fine? Being noisy is also a sign of youth," Mitosaka Kankuro, boss of the mafia 'Frozen Scales', drawled in response, locking his hands behind his head, letting out a yawn through the medical mask of his face.

Kankuro was an underground doctor who tended to members of the allied mafias, along with his own, but despite that, he was just as skilled a hitman as anyone in the room.

Similarly, Kengo and Kankuro are childhood friends, although Kengo had mentioned on multiple accounts that their bond was 'undesirable but irrefutable'.

"Well, I don't see why Arima-sama wouldn't be happy to see Shimon-han." Mitejima Subaru, boss of the mafia 'Nocturne Rhapsody', commented, giggling at the end behind her frilly fan.

"Agreed. Despite the youngest amongst us, he has proven to be the most capable and responsible, even as a mafia boss," Zeze Miku, boss of the mafia 'Silver Marionette', added in agreement to Subaru's sentiment.

Miku was the oldest mafia boss amongst those in the alliance, hence she was stricter and more experienced than the rest despite not being as strong. Receiving such praise from her reassured Shimon that he was doing his job well.

"Indeed! Your achievements are most impressive, Shimon-dono!" Sada Sakura, boss of the mafia 'Cosmic Scythe', declared in her ridiculously loud manner, which made Miku sigh exasperatedly.

"So I say, Sakura, please do something about the way you speak. It's seriously loud, and seriously unnecessary."

"But Miku-dono, you know I've inherited this manner of speaking from my father!"

It is a known fact among the leaders that Sakura's father, whose wife was the former boss of 'Cosmic Scythe', was one of Miku's subordinates. When Sakura's mother passed away and he got done in in the line of duty, Miku fulfilled his last wish by taking Sakura in and caring for her as her own.

"It is completely understandable that everyone would love to see Shimon-kun. He is so intelligent and physically apt for his age." Shimon stiffened slightly at the sickeningly sweet voice that spoke up. He didn't even need to look to know who it was.

Kaguya, the current boss of the mafia 'Transcendent Claws'. Seigen's mafia, to be exact. It was only three years after news of the unfortunate incident had been revealed, when she suddenly took over as the boss.

Needless to say, Shimon disliked her. There were a few reasons as to why. There was his professional view on it; he found it suspicious that someone who had zero relation to the 'Transcendent Claws' would suddenly become the boss. Her records or past activities before becoming boss are completely unknown, which made her all the more he suspicious character.

Then there was his personal views. He has never been fond of women, the only few he acknowledged being the bosses of the allied mafias and Yuzuru. But Kaguya appeared to lack integrity, at least in his eyes. Resulting in him absolutely despising her.

"Not to mention, he's so handsome."

Even more so when she flirted with him like that. It seemed to him that she lacked dignity as well, if the way she threw herself at any good-looking or powerful man she comes across, or the provocative dressing of hers were any indicator.

Honestly, she might as well be wearing her undergarments.

Shimon silently clicked his tongue in disgust, and shrugged off the hand that Kaguya had placed on his arm. "I appreciate the comment, but do please be more aware of yourself and keep your hands away from me."

"Aw, don't be so cold, Shimon-kun!" Kaguya teased, obviously thinking that Shimon was just being shy and not realising he was just about done with her. Clenching his jaw, he turned to the side, and his eyes met Mitsuka's. The assassin tensed up and offered a pity-filled smile, shrugging. No matter how much Shimon hated her, killing Kaguya here and now would only prove to be a demerit to the 'Vermillion Wing'.

"Ain't it nice, Bird-maru? Being popular amongst the ladies and all," Unomiya Tenma, boss of the mafia 'Golden Swords', snickered, grinning as he wolfed down another box of mitarashi dango. Shimon scowled, glaring in his direction.

Tenma and Shimon had known each other longer than the rest, due to going to the same academy since elementary school. Their rivalry back then was strong, and even more so now. Tenma never failed to infuriate him.

"Clearly your ears aren't working, because I am saying I do not find it 'nice'. And my name isn't 'Bird-maru'," Shimon replied, shooting a brief glare towards Mitsuka, who fought to stifle a laugh at the weird nickname.

" _S-H-U-T U-P. Shut up._ " Kasukami Cordelia's, the boss of the mafia 'Futuristic Ruins', robotic voice echoed. Cordelia had lost her voice due to an incident during the line of duty, and had created for herself a speaking aid that was connected to her nerves and voiced out her opinions.

For some reason, it always spelled out the first two words of whatever she wanted to say before broadcasting the rest of her lines. And for some reason, it didn't spell out anything when she cursed.

The mentioned head, Tsuchimikado Arima, simply smirked at his response. He swept his blue-tipped silver bangs to the side, as he looked around.

All the mafia lords had been gathered.

He clapped his hands together, silencing everyone and having their attention on him. With a grim look on his face, he announced, "Let's begin our meeting, shall we?"

* * *

After finally bringing the office to a pristine state - with no help from the top mobsters drinking non-stop and making a mess almost every second for two hours straight - Mayura used the back of her hand to wipe her forehead, nodding in satisfaction at the results of her hard work.

She quickly stashed the cleaning equipment into the storeroom, before lounging on one of the couches of the now-empty office. The rest had left one after another, receiving orders from Shimon to take care of respective jobs as soon as his meeting had ended.

Now she had to wait for him to return before she could go.

As she lounged on the couch, she thought back to what Keiji, Yuzuru and Jin'ya had mentioned earlier, and she felt her cheeks flush once more at the memory. She simply couldn't believe it - she had snuggled into the Boss' lap. She had called him cute and sexy. Saying this to any mafia boss would be equivalent to having a death wish. And she was currently wanting one.

'Why on earth would I even think or consider him to be sexy? Sure, he has nice, crystal-blue eyes and interesting hair, not to mention a lean body that was neither too muscular nor scrawny, yet at the same time insane for someone who barely works out…' Mayura thought to herself, before feeling her cheeks grow hot once more as she flashbacked to when she saw Shimon in the skin-tight crop top that revealed his abs.

She mentally slapped herself at the thought.

'Anyways, so he wasn't all that unfortunate-looking. But cute? S-e-x-y? No way. Never,' she vehemently denied it in her mind, before it began trailing off elsewhere. Now that she thought about it, there have been times he would look deep into her eyes, his icy-blue orbs sucking her in. She couldn't help but find him rather attractive…

'But never sexy. Naw, no way…' Mayura found herself in a losing mental battle. With herself.

Deciding to temporarily clear her mind off her Boss, she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her list of songs, before selecting one and playing it out loud. For the first few seconds, chords of an electric guitar were heard, before the singing began, to which Mayura sang along with while sensually breakdancing.

Mayura: _There's a little secret_

 _I would like to tell you._

 _There's a book of lies_

 _I know they'll try to sell you._

 _And they'll try, and they'll try,_

 _To convince you to buy,_

 _you need them._

 _So the next time you're down,_

 _look inside, not around._

 _I can bless myself._

 _There's no need for someone else._

 _There's no one to blame._

 _There's no one to save you but yourself._

 _I can justify_

 _all the mistakes in my life._

 _It's taught me to be, it's given me me_

 _And I'll survive._

' _Cause I have blessed myself._

Unbeknownst to her, in the midst of her singing and dancing, a certain crimson-haired boss had appeared at the doorway, and was silently watching her.

* * *

Shimon sighed exasperatedly as he stepped out of the limo. The meeting was mentally draining on him, and he honestly didn't even want to think about Kaguya's advances and Tenma's constant teasing. Mitsuka silently followed him as he walked into the headquarters and made his way towards the concierge.

"Boss, welcome back."

"Thanks, Yuri. Has everyone else gone to do what I've ordered?"

"Yes. Keiji-san left earlier to distribute your orders to our branches in Narukami, so he'll be back by tomorrow afternoon, latest. Jin'ya-san and Yuzuru-san has gone to Rose Maiden Latte, as per your orders, to fill _her_ in on the situation. The rest went to their respective territories they are in charge of to fill their men in."

"Good. Good work today, Yuri. Get me the elevator."

"Yes, sir."

With that, Shimon walked past the counter and into the lift. When it reached the highest floor, he hastily made his way to his office, but stilled when he heard loud music blaring out of the door. As silently as humanly possible, he crept towards the door and peered to through the slight opening, his eyes widening when he saw who it was inside.

Mayura was singing along to the song while moving in that similar fashion he had seen most people in clubs dance. She spun around, made sharp movements with ease, and sensually ran her hands on the sides of her body and face, all while swaying her hips to the rhythm of the music. Her voice was powerful with each note she hit, and despite not knowing what song it was, Shimon took a liking to it immediately.

"Boss? Are you not going to go in?" Mitsuka asked in a low voice, not wanting to startle Mayura should he speak too loudly. Shimon smirked slightly as he watched Mayura go at it a little longer.

"Soon," he simply replied, watching Mayura a little longer. When what sounded like the song coming to an end, he pushed open the door and wordlessly entered, standing behind Mayura, who was still caught up in her singing and dancing.

"What are you doing?"

"AHHH!" Mayura screamed, shocked out of her skin at the sudden voice that rang out behind her. Coming to a complete stop, she whipped around and eyes widened when she realised it was Shimon.

"B-Boss… Since when were you there?" Mayura questioned warily, shakily even.

"I just arrived. I repeat, what are you doing?"

"I-I was waiting for you to come, so that I could leave. I finished cleaning all the floors, so I just need your approval. B-But then I got bored, so I decided to play some music and… nevermind," Mayura stuttered to answer, before mumbling resignedly at the end. Shimon restrained the urge to smirk at her complicated expression and walked over to his desk.

"Well, whatever it is you were doing, do not do it again. Stop playing that music out loud, it's annoyingly noisy. Also, you can leave after you get me a cup of coffee," Shimon stated, settling into his chair before opening his laptop and began typing away at once.

"A cup of coffee? Are you staying up again?"

"Considering I have a lot of things to do in regards to the meeting I had earlier, yes. Now hurry up and get me my damn coffee."

"Yessir," Mayura dryly replied, promptly picking up her phone from the couch and stopping the music before waltzing out of the office. Mitsuka studied the green-tipped blonde as she dashed out, before directing his gaze towards Shimon. Feeling an intense stare on him, Shimon looked up from his laptop and met Mitsuka's eyes.

"What?"

"Do you not intend to fill Mayura in about it?" Shimon's eyes softened at the mention of Mayura, and looked away, almost guiltily as he gave a solemn smile.

"It's best if she doesn't know. She's involved enough with the underground world because of me, anymore and she will be potential danger. And I'll be damned before I let that happen, not to mention _she_ will have my head."

"True." Mitsuka replied, chuckling slightly, and immediately after, Mayura enters the office holding a cup of coffee resting on a saucer. She carefully placed it down, making sure not to accidentally tip the cup.

"Here's your coffee."

"Mm." Shimon simply hummed in response, typing away at the laptop for a few more seconds before pausing to pick up the cup and took a sip, before giving a satisfied hum. Placing the cup down onto the saucer, he briefly looked up and stared at Mayura in the eyes and said coldly, "You may go, but don't you dare be late tomorrow."

"Yes, Boss." With that, Mayura picked up her sling bag and strutted towards the doors. Opening one, she took one step out, before looking back at Shimon. He noticed this and asked, "What is it?"

Mayura furrowed her brows, and opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to say something, but ultimately decided not to ask what was on her mind and shook her head. "Nothing. Excuse me, I'll be leaving now."

With that, she closed the door behind her. It wasn't long before she was out of the building and on the way back to her 'home'. Mayura groaned as she held her head with one hand while she walked with a slight limp in her steps.

Her head was killing her. She wasn't sure when, but a while after the whole fiasco in Shimon's office that morning, she felt this terrible headache hit her. And it couldn't have been a hangover; she had already taken painkillers for it.

It temporarily left her when she was dancing in the office, but it felt worse when she had heard what Shimon had said earlier. What did he mean, it was best if she didn't know. About what?

And what did he mean, she will be placed in potential danger? She was in the most danger when she was with him, goddammit! She was constantly in danger for every second of her life, like some sort of inevitable fate, even when they first met. What the heck was he worrying about now?

Shaking those thoughts away, she reached the familiar run-down building and walked upstairs. Fishing out her keys, she stilled upon realising the lock of her door had been busted open. Scowling, she kicked the door open, and stormed into the room. She found herself face to face with the suspect, who was holding a metal box.

A metal box which happened to contain her savings.

"What the hell? Of all the places to rob, you chose the god-forsaken shack? How low thieves and thugs have fallen around here," Mayura mocked scornfully, honestly tired and wanting to get this done and over with so that she could rest.

"S-Shut up! Back away and let me leave, then you won't get hurt!" He exclaimed, and in an instant, he whipped out a pocket knife and thrusted it towards her. She smoothly tilted her head to the side, enough for it to avoid her eye, but her cheek wasn't as lucky. In fact, it was the same side that Shimon's bullet had nicked her this morning. Feeling the warm liquid trickle down her cheek, she clenched her jaw.

The male smirked, thinking he was victorious in scaring her, but instantly regretted ever coming when she met his eyes once more, now the look of death in her eyes as she glared at him.

"I don't have time to deal with idiots like you. I already had it from one asshole today, and the only one I would actually willingly accept punishment from, since I would deserve it. And even then, half the time I don't tolerate any shit from him. I don't need another asshole bothering me. Get lost."

Her cold tone made him waver, but he eventually manned up and charged towards her, knife in hand. The sight of it itself made her snort. Then suddenly, a sharp pain hit her again, and she swallowed back a wince. She really needed to deal with this quickly, or she might seriously get killed.

"Seriously, a knife at point-blank range against a teenage girl? Pathetic," she sneered, swiftly stepping out of the way, causing him to stumble past her. Taking opportunity of his momentary shock, she grabbed the wrist of the hand that held the blade, and swiftly twisted it behind his back, emitting a sharp groan of pain from him.

"Also, since it looks like you're new in the neighbourhood, a little heads-up: first, I've been living around this area since I was a child, and believe me when I tell you, that kind of pathetic threat with that dull knife ain't gonna do shit for you around here. Second, I've slitted more throats than the number of houses you have broken into, considering I started since I was seven." She then dragged the man out of the house and kicked his back, forcing him out.

"And third, I work for the damn mafia. You might wanna think twice before attacking me again, 'cause I can assure you my boss doesn't take well to things happening without his knowledge or permission." With that, she shut the door and barricaded it with the boxes she found lying around the room, before swiftly stripping herself out of her clothes and into a simple singlet and a pair of homey shorts.

When her head hit the mattress, she was out like a light.

* * *

"So, you chased her out, just to follow her?" Mitsuka asked, sitting on a slightly battered, leather chair in the barren room. He, along with Keiji, Jin'ya, Yuzuru and Shimon were in a room in an abandoned building not too far off from the one Mayura was staying in.

The man who got thrown out by Mayura was unfortunate enough to bump into Shimon, who had decided to follow Mayura back to her house just in case, in regards to the recent meeting. Said man was currently pinned down, on all fours, and being sat on the back by Yuzuru. She leisurely held the chains that were wound around his wrists and ankles in one hand, and a electric riding crop in another.

"And while I'd love to tease you about it, boy, am I relieved you did," Keiji exclaimed, staring down at the man with uncharacteristically cold eyes. To Mayura, who didn't know the first thing about the situation amongst the mafias in the underground, she thought he was just an everyday thief. But to them, who were practically the ones moving the underground world, this was clearly a planned move from the enemy.

After all, why else would they have someone attack the daughter of a late boss of a mafia that was one of their enemies, and immediately after the meeting, at that?

The man cautiously eyed the mobsters surrounding him. He was supposed to report back to headquarters after countering the Amawaka girl, but he wasn't told of this. Since when the did the boss of the 'Vermillion Wing' mafia personally watch her return home?!

Shimon stepped towards the man, and stood before him. The man raised his head to meet his gaze, an indignant and defiant gleam in his eyes. Instantly, he felt a jolt of electricity run down from his thighs to his knees, which trembled from the sudden shock and threatened to give out.

"Watch the attitude. No one gave you permission to look at the Boss in the eyes," Yuzuru's voice rang out in the empty room, tone harsh and merciless. Just like how her torture on this man was going to be.

"Good, keep him like that, Yuzuru," Shimon said, before looking down on the man once more. "Tell us your name and your association to the underground world."

Shimon was met with silence, and his eye twitched. Bringing his hand back to where his gun was, he grasped at the handle, finger resting on the trigger. His crystal-blue orbs hardened as he narrowed his eyes, and he repeated his question. "Name and association, now."

The man continued to give the silent treatment, refusing to speak and just looked up, glaring at Shimon once more. He let out a yelp of pain when he felt the same shock hit his other thigh and dropped his head in pain.

"I already warned you once." Yuzuru stated, waving the riding crop around threateningly. Jin'ya removed the cigarette from his lips and dropped it to the ground, stubbing it before walking over to them and bent over slightly to look at the man.

"C'mon, you know that dragging this out is gonna hurt, so why not save both you and us the trouble and 'fess up already, huh?" He said, in an attempt to negotiate. However, they hadn't taken into account how stubborn this man would have been, for he shook his head in reply, refusing to give in. Keiji, who had been on his phone while watching, finally stepped forward.

"Inui Hyousuke of the Magano Alliance. You belong to the lower branches in the Narukami district, don't you?" He spoke, loud and clear for the man to hear. The man, Inui, looked up and stared at him in shock.

"You shouldn't underestimate a top-rate mafia so easily. We can obtain information from wherever we want, whenever we want. More importantly, wouldn't you like to know what else we know about you?" At this, the man tensed momentarily, not long enough to be considered a pause, but enough for Kenji to notice. With that, the older Ikaruga made another step forward in his 'negotiation'.

"We know where you live, who your relatives and friends are, where they live, what they do and where they go every hour of the day. Wouldn't it be just unfortunate if they all suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth, for good?" Keiji said, his usual cheerful grin in place. But this time, there was an obvious hint of malice in his entire demeanour, and Inui widened his eyes in horror, and began to break into cold sweat.

"Y-You wouldn't…"

"Oh yes, yes we would. As much as those from the Tsuchimikado Alliance despise abusing authority and power to hurt civilians, we would do it if it is completely necessary to protect our family. You can count on it. And besides, relatives of a mobster can't be considered to be 'ordinary' civilians, now, can they?" Keiji could see that the man was now visibly shaken and wavering, but still unrelenting. Looks like he needed a final push.

"Oi, Mitsuka." The said male looked up from polishing his dagger, one that those in the 'Vermillion Wing' mafia knew to be his favourite. Apparently, he was getting impatient too. He looked up from the glinting blade with a slightly murderous grin. "Yeah?"

"Hey, hey, save the threatening looks for our prisoner here. That aside, since this man seems reluctant on filling us in with what we want to know, why don't you help to kill time by telling us some of your stories?"

Mitsuka immediately understood what Keiji was playing at, and smirked slightly. "Which one? How I skewered thirteen men on the battlefield in our fight against the Russian mob? Or the time I was still an assassin, and wiped out a whole camp of men in Germany before joining the mafia? Or the time I skinned a man alive as torture when I started out as an assassin to pry information out of him?"

The mobsters barely managed to keep the deadly act, laughter threatening to spill over as they watched Inui's face literally turn white with trepidation, hanging at each word Mitsuka had said. While everything Mitsuka said was true, he was laying it thick for show. Keiji pretended to ponder over it, and that finally broke the man.

"Stop! Please, just… stop…"

"It looks like you finally understand your position. Your call, Shimon," Keiji said, and Shimon crouched down, harshly grabbing the man by the chin, hard enough to leave bruises, and tipped his head upwards.

Inui nearly collapsed at the absolute-zero gaze that held a promise of a slow and painful death directed at him. With a scowl, Shimon said, "Let's try this again: Why are you here?"

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! Please do review!**

 **XOXO, anime4life2112**


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